Tease
by Kairou Watoshimi
Summary: [Drabble Series] Ren was pretty sure Kyoko was doing it on purpose. Taunting him. Teasing him. Showing him glimpses and making him hope for the impossible.
1. Confessions

**Going through a complete revision. Future chapters may be familiar.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(1) Confessions

"Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko's voice cried out in surprise.

Despite himself, Ren felt his lips twitch upwards and the familiar tightening in his chest from the sound of her voice. "Mogami-san," he greeted warmly, "my apologies, I meant to call earlier but the scene ran late."

"Nonono," Kyoko assured quickly. "It's fine!"

Silence.

"Is something wrong, Mogami-san?"

"Well," she began hesitantly and Ren could almost see her blushing face. "It's just… just that… I…" He heard her inhaled deeply. Then: "I have a confession to make!"

He shuddered as she groaned from embarrassment. "M-Mogami-san?" He forced himself to remain calm.

_A confession?_


	2. Like a Cucumber

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(2) Like a Cucumber

_A cucumber._

"W-well, it's just that..." Kyoko made a soft whimper making Ren thankful that he was alone in his car. "That I… uh, I don't know how to say this."

_A cucumber, _Ren repeated in his mind. _I am as cool as a cucumber._

"The truth is," Kyoko finally said after a few more minutes of whimpering, moaning and sobbing. "The truth is, I'm having trouble with a new job and… well…"

"A job?" Ren repeated.

"I just really need your help, Tsuruga-san!"

A pause.

_Not as much as I need yours,_ Ren thought mournfully, looking down at himself.

**Because you know… cucumbers are also hard and all that.**

**Hm. I'll just shut up now.**


	3. Running Wild

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(3) Running Wild

"A bikini line?" Ren asked, blinking in shock. "You're the model for a new bikini line?"

Kyoko shifted uncomfortably in her seat under his piercing gaze. "It's actually a swimwear line…" She pushed the food around on her plate, for once, not chiding Ren about not eating his own.

Ren could almost see it now: Kyoko. At the beach. In a bikini. Surrounded by hormone-crazed men. He gritted his teeth. _No way in hell!_

But despite his storming jealousy, he could not prevent himself for imagining it: the golden sun, the sound of waves. Wet hair. Smooth skin. Kyoko's—

"Tsuruga-san?"


	4. SOS

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(4) SOS

He blinked, clearing away the image of Kyoko wet, bare skin.

"Tsuruga-san?" she repeated quietly. Kyoko swallowed audibly, praying that Tsuruga-san would not refuse her, not for this, not when she really, really, _really _needed his help. "Please, you must help me. You must!" she wailed. "I don't want to disappoint the director when he specifically asked for me! You can't abandon me now, Tsuruga-san!"

_The president, _Ren thought furiously once his overactive imagination was well behind him. _The president was probably the—_, he stopped and stared at her. "The director specifically asked for you?"

_Who is this bastard?_


	5. Skin

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(5) Skin

After dinner, Ren had Kyoko freshened up and changed into the bikini that she had with her. Kyoko had apparently received it with her job offer, screamed, threw it into her bag and never took it out again. Until now. He tried not to stare at Kyoko's smooth, blushed skin, courtesy of the shower that she had just taken.

He cleared his throat, "Don't mind your body," he said, his voice huskier than he wanted. "Concentrate on the outfit itself." Ren wrapped his hands around Kyoko's bare shoulders and guided her to stand between him and his large bedroom mirror.


	6. Center of Attention

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters**

Tease  
(6) Center of Attention

"Since you're modeling a bikini, the attention of the audience will most likely be centered towards the… the…" _Breasts, _he thought and looked down despite himself. He felt his eyebrows twitch but couldn't bring himself to avert his gaze from the view. And gods, what a pleasant view it was. "…top."

"The top?" Kyoko asked absent-mindlessly, glancing down at her chest and resisted the urge to poke. She frowned; why was she chosen again?

Silence.

Kyoko blinked, looking upwards. Tsuruga-san wasn't looking her in the face like she thought he was. She blinked again and followed his gaze.

Then gasped.


	7. Breaking Down

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(7) Breaking Down

Tsurugaa-saaan!" Kyoko screeched out, diving into his bed and wrapped his blankets around her.

"Mogami-san!" Ren called out, panicked but happy that he didn't stutter. "Please don't understand the situation…"

_Misunderstand the situation? _he barked at himself. _She only thinks that you were staring at her chest. Do you really want her to know that you were undressing her with your eyes. That you were actually debating whether or not you should just take her right then and there? Good god, man! What is wrong with you?_

"I can't belieeeve you, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko cried out.

_Well, there goes her trust._


	8. Two Sides of the Mirror

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Skip Beat  
(8) Two Sides of the Mirror

"It's not my fault!" she cried, fully sobbing now. "I don't have the needed curves and bumps for a bikini shot. Or a one-piece! I don't even know why I got chosen. But I can't believe you would make fun of me. Why would—"

"Mogami-san, please—"

"How could you, Tsuruga-san? How could you just stare and—"

"Kyoko!"

Kyoko froze mid-sob.

"It's… ah…" Ren wondered how he got himself in the situation and why all these type of situations always, _always _happens to him. "Actually, it's very pleasant to look at."

Kyoko stared up at him in horror.


	9. New Job Offer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(9) New Job Offer

Lory shrugged, "They said that they needed a male model for the job to compliment the female and your name came up in my head. Your schedule is more open for the next few days, is it not?" He smiled slyly at the dark-haired man.

Yashiro sighed, "President, I hate to question you or go against your word, but I have been trying to free up Ren's schedule on purpose. He needs to relax a bit."—and hang out with Kyoko-chan, damn it!—He stared the president in the eye over the top of his glasses, unblinking for extra effect.


	10. Say Yes, Say Yes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(10) Say Yes, Say Yes

"Eh," Lory said with a wave of his hand, dismissing Yashio's comment. "It's just a couple of shots, taking an hour a day for a couple of days. It's nothing you can't handle."

Ren narrowed his eyes, "And why did you suggest me?"

"Just accept the job."

The tall actor sighed and decided that despite the president's previous stunts and pathetic childish behavior, he would trust him. Perhaps, the modeling job would reflect well on his public image. "Fine," he agreed finally.

Lory grinned and Ren had to resist the urge to shudder. What exactly had he gotten himself into?


	11. Almost

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(11) Almost

"Aren't you even the slightest bit curious about who your female model is?" Yashiro asked once they stepped out of the office, both of them completely missing—or, in Ren's case, ignoring—their president's knowing smirk. "Or what product you're modeling for?"

Ren shrugged, "Not particularly."

Yashiro resisted the urge to bang his head against the nearest wall. That man was impossible. Yashiro sighed and flipped open the folder that the President had given him. He blinked.

"It's swimwear."

"Pardon?"

"You're modeling for swimwear."

"The new swimwear line?" he asked; Kyoko being the first thing that popped in his head.


	12. Background Material

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(12) Background Material

Yashiro blinked again. "What new swimwear line?" he asked. "The one meant for girls? Erm… maybe?" He shook his head, trying to get rid of a horrid Ren-in-a-bikini mental image that appeared. "I don't know, it only says that it's _a _swimwear line. We're supposed to meet the director tomorrow."

"Oh," Ren said, feeling quite disappointed. _Not Kyoko._

"And, really," Yashiro said. "Skin—that new swimwear line (in case you're curious)—won't recruit male models since they're centered around female swimwear, unless they want some background boys and you and I both know that Tsuruga Ren is _not _background material."


	13. Encountering Perverts I

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(13) Encountering Perverts I

Exactly one and a half day after The Incident (for Ren had no other name for it), he found himself face to face with Kyoko. With Yashiro next to him.

The two of them—Ren and Kyoko—stared stupidly at each other for what seemed like hours, Yashiro standing awkwardly to the side.

Kyoko, usually the one to jump to conclusions, mistook Ren's shocked stare for another one of his staring-at-her-supposedly-pleasant-breasts-(or-lack-thereof) and ran away. Screaming. "Tsuruga-saaan! You pervert!"

Yashiro blinked once. Twice. "Pervert?", he repeated then gasped, not hiding the approving gleam in his eyes. "Ren! What did you do?"


	14. Sealed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(14) Sealed

"I want you wearing that," the director said pointing at the outfit. A white button-up shirt, dark pants, and dark sunglasses.

_Huh? _Ren thought. _I thought this was a swimsuit line._

"Why?" he asked.

The director smiled. "Because I want most of the attention to be drawn towards your co-model—not you. But don't worry; you're not going to be the background. Tsuruga Ren isn't background material."

Ren nodded. That did made sense.

"And since she's showing off skin," the director continued. "She's wearing this." He pulled out the company's latest bikini.

Ren winced. _That's quite a lot of skin._


	15. The CoModel SetUp

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(15) The Co-Model Set-Up

Ren gaped as Kyoko walked in, her skin giving off a shine as the sunlight shone on it (or was it just him?). Kyoko's _the model?_ he thought in shock, realizing how stupid he must look right now. He was sure that his gaping mouth was going to start rumors and his heated, bright red face wasn't helping either.

"Mogami-san?" he managed out.

"Oh?" the director asked, blinking innocently as if he was surprised. "You two know each other?"

Ren wondered what sin he had committed in his previous life to deserve this. _The gods,_ Ren decided, _are against me._


	16. Encountering Perverts II

**Repeat chapter is boring. My apologies.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(16) Encountering Perverts II

When Kyoko heard that she was going to have a male co-model, she wasn't expecting her ex-beloved sempai. And she definitely wasn't expecting him to be staring at her… okay, maybe she was sort of expecting that stare especially with the recent events but she wasn't actually mentally prepared for it.

So Kyoko did the only thing that popped into her head. She ran away. Again. "Ahh," Kyoko screamed out, half sobbing, half yelling in fear. "Tsuruga-saaan! You pervert!"

The spectators of the scene blinked then turned to stare at Ren. "Pervert?"

Yashiro gasped again. "Ren! What _did_ you _do_?"


	17. Hopeless

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(17) Hopeless

"I can't believe that's your reaction," Yashiro said with a glare as he passed Ren a water bottle. He could still hear the staff talking about Ren's red-faced, gaping mouth stare. "And she wasn't even wearing the bikini yet."

Ren blinked. "She wasn't?"

Yashiro sighed. The man was hopeless.

Silence.

"I was caught off guard," Ren said. "It won't happen again." Really, how _was_ he supposed to know that Mogami-san (the object of his desires and very wet dreams) was going to be his co-model? In a _swimwear_ shot?

"Really?" Yashiro asked. "Have you seen her in a bikini yet?"


	18. Differences

**I'm back! First of all I would like to apologize for the long author's note (which will be longer than the chapter itself). Secondly, I would like to apologize for the hiatus. When I stopped publishing new chapters it was because I lost my Skip Beat inspiration and forcing myself to write a chapter a month just didn't do. I didn't enjoy writing something I barely have any interest in. So, I put the story on hiatus and revised the entire thing (I recommend you go back and reread what I already have published since every single chapter have been edited). **

**New chapters of this story will now be published every Saturday and if I forget, give a quick shout out to KonosaWatasuki on DeviantART and she'll make sure I write again (as a matter of fact, she's the one that forced me out of the hiatus). **

**The next few chapters might seem familiar to you (they are) and new material will begin on Chapter 24. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(18) Differences

Ren took in Yashiro's expression and opened his mouth to say, "Yes, I _have _seen Kyoko in a bikini, thank you very much. That was the reason why this whole "pervert" incident came up in the first place" but then thought better of it.

Not to mention, his reaction was _completely _justified.

She was his _co-model _and he had no clue_. _Kyoko was the reason why he was going through puberty again and was modeling a bikini that was completely different from the one she had showed him the other day. _This _bikini might cover nipples—if he was lucky.


	19. A Perfect Friend

**Voidy, Ren's just exaggerating. When writing this, I imagine her wearing a "two-piece" when she went to ask for Ren's help. For the actual modeling, I imagined her wearing an actual "string-based" bikini. Are there names for these things?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(19) A Perfect Friend

"Kyoko-chan, perhaps you have something on your mind that you would like to talk about?"

The young actress—now model—shook her head. "Not really."

"I'm sure there's something I can do. People have always told me that I'm a good listener."

"No, thank you."

Yashiro gritted his teeth. "Are you sure? I hate to bother you but I feel as if you want someone to talk to."

"I'm fine, thank you though."

_This isn't working,_ Yashiro realized. He needed to retort to extreme measures: Yashiro hurled himself onto the ground in front of her. "Kyoko-chan! Please! I'm begging you!"


	20. This Manager

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(20) This Manager

Ren watched as Yashiro sighed loudly as he attempted to enjoy his cup of tea. He gritted his teeth, "Yashiro, is there something wrong?"

Yashiro gave a long, exaggerated sigh. "No."

_This is useless,_ Ren thought. _Why am I cursed with him?_

Yashiro sighed again.

Ren's eyebrow twitched.

Another sigh.

"Would it make you feel better if I went to find Mogami-san and apologize?"

The effect was immediate. "On that note," Yashiro said happily, purposely leaving out the fact that Kyoko _was_ currently shooting a scene for Box-R. "Would you also like to tell me what you did to her?"


	21. Stranger

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(21) Stranger

_This is not what I help created,_ Ren thought, staring at Kyoko, who was currently bathed in Natsu's presence. _Who_ is _that? _He swallowed hard and then promptly shuddered when Kyoko made her way towards him.

"Tsuruga-san," Kyoko purred. "What can I do for you?"

Ren watched as Kyoko's feather-light fingers trailed up and down his clothed chest. He barely managed to surpass his shivers. "Mogami-san," Ren answered, weakly. "This position seems rather… intimate."

"Really?" Kyoko—Natsu—asked, and Ren couldn't help but notice the wicked gleam in her eyes. "I can think of other… more intimate… positions."

Ren shivered.


	22. The Same

**Sorry, I was busy Saturday.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(22) The Same

"U-um," Ren stammered uncharacteristically. "Is Mogami-san in there by any chance?" He almost wanted to hit himself. Natsu _was _Mogami-san, after all. Just a little different. Sexier… among other things. _Please? _he asked silently.

Kyoko made a low purring-like noise. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I _am _Kyoko."

_Bullshit, _Ren wanted to shout but held back since it wouldn't do well with his gentlemen image.

Kyoko leaned closer to him and Ren could feel her cool breath washing over his face. He held his own breath and froze. And when she leaned closer still, his fate was sealed.


	23. So Close

**Sorry for the late updates the last two weeks. Classes just started so I'm trying to get everything organized and whatnot.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(23) So Close

Or not…

Just when Kyoko was about to do… whatever she was planning to do… Ren felt her soft body getting pulled away from him. He blinked a couple times trying to clear his hazy vision then wondered if he had ruined his perfect public image because of Kyoko. Again.

"And cut, Naa-chan," the director said as he click the clacker together. "Geez. How many times do I have to tell you not to flirt with visitors?" he asked.

Kyoko blinked in horror. She opened and closed her mouth a few times then managed to squeak out: "Me?" Then: "_Tsuruga-san?"_


	24. Apologies

**Everything from here on out is new material.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(24) Apologies

Kyoko looked as if she was about to burst into tears.

Okay, she was already crying. She looked as if she was about to drop to her knees and apologize to him, bowing like it's the end of the world and slam her head into the concrete floor multiple times in the process.

"It's fine!" he said, throwing his hands out, stopping her mid-drop.

She froze.

Ren straighten himself once he was sure that Kyoko wasn't going to reintroduce herself to the ground and cleared his throat. "Actually, Mogami-san," he said. "I here to apologize about my… my behavior… recently."


	25. Excuses, Excuses

**In response to Sara (anonymous): No offense but why don't you look up the definition of "drabble" before complaining since it's obvious that you do not know what it means.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(25) Excuses, Excuses

"The truth is…" he trailed off and eyed the director.

Who blinked.

He glared.

The director finally got the hint and quietly left the scene.

"The truth is," he continued. "That I was… I was…"

_Deprived of sex? _his mind offered.

"No!" he corrected himself. He cleared his throat again. "I was admiring the color of the bikini. It was a wonderful shade of…" He swallowed, "…black."

Ren winced, his excuse sounded pathetic, even to his own ears. But Kyoko looked as if she just won the lottery. "Oh!" she exclaimed, happily. "I see! It all makes sense now, Tsuruga-san!"


	26. Square One

**How many updates do I owe you guys?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters**

Tease  
(26) Square One

_At least, _Ren thought. _She doesn't hate me anymore._

And while that may be true, it doesn't change the fact that he was back to where he had started. Back to Kyoko fussing about his eating habits and going to him for help because he was her beloved sempai—and nothing more! He should have just pretended he was a pervert.

_Why, _he thought. _Did I have to create a gentlemen image for Tsuruga Ren? Why didn't I make him a pervert?_

"And Tsuruga-san," Kyoko said shyly. "I apologize for Natsu's behavior." She blushed. "Sometimes she gets away from me."


	27. A Dish Served Cold

**I am so busy, it isn't even funny. Bare with me for the next couple of months. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter out within a couple of days.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(27) A Dish Served Cold

"It's quite alright," Ren reassured her, knowing very well she wasn't at fault. "It just means you were completely in your character's mindset."

"I also wanted revenge," Kyoko mumbled.

Ren blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

Kyoko's head shot up, her face rapidly becoming more and more red in color. "Nothing!" she screeched. "Nothing at all!" She bowed low. "Excuse me, Tsuruga-san! I have a job to do!" Without waiting for his response, Kyoko jumped away from him and ran back onto the set as fast as her legs would carry her. "Goodbye!"

Ren blinked again.

_What did she just say?_


	28. Puppet Master

**There will be no update this Saturday, but starting next Saturday updates will resume once a week.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(28) Puppet Master

Lory fingered the swimsuit, admiring the silky texture. "And are you sure that you don't have a smaller one?" he asked.

Tatsui raised an eyebrow. "Any smaller and it would be illegal. Besides, you should have seen Tsuruga. He was just barely hanging on."

"Don't underestimate that boy. He has the self-control of a demon."

"Spare me, President. He hasn't even seen her in the bikini yet. Just wait. And if _that _isn't enough, he also has to model _with _her." He leaned back in his chair. "Besides, with me as the director, I can rearrange them however I want."


	29. Tip-Toe

**To clear up some confusion: Ren has seen Kyoko in a bikini but not **_**the **_**bikini (the one she's modeling).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(29) Tip-Toe

Lory grinned. "I knew there was a reason why I liked you."

"Thank you," Tatsui replied flatly. "You flatter me."

"Now," Lory began seriously. "Take a few pictures and it doesn't matter if they are appropriate enough to get published. I want copies. Copies of _every. Single. One. Of. Them."_

Tatsui wasn't fazed. "Of course."

"And don't be too obvious," the president warned. "Ren is also an extremely suspicious child." And mostly to himself, much more quietly: "Not to mention, I did shove this job down his throat."

"You needn't to worry, Mr. President," Tatsui assured. "Leave everything to me."


	30. Of Sneezes and Teasing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(30) Of Sneezes and Teasing

Ren sneezed.

"Are you alright?" Yashiro asked, jumping in surprise. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

He rubbed his nose softly. "No."

Yashiro waggled his eyebrows. "Been taking cold showers?" he asked.

Ren felt his mouth drop open and he turned to face his manager. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"Kyoko-chan's going to be modeling with you in a _bikini. _You're bound to have some sort of—"

"That's enough!" Ren panicked. He couldn't believe that Yashiro was actually teasing him about this.

Yashiro only chuckled in response. "Good luck in your photo shot with Kyoko-chan tomorrow!"


	31. Before Kyoko

**Just out of curiosity: Does this story confuse you by jumping around too much or is it okay?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(31) Before Kyoko

Ren woke up the next morning with a gasp. He sat up in bed, looking around as if surprised to see his own apartment. Taking deep breaths in order to calm down and forget that dream—_oh gods, that dream!—_he clutched a fist to his chest.

"_Oh, Ren!_" Kyoko's voice echoed in his head. _"Ah!"_

Ren buried his face into his hands and groaned.

"_Been taking cold showers?"_

"You have no idea, Yashiro," he muttered, pulling himself out of his bed. He looked down at his bed sheets and sighed; remembering his sheets being a darker shade before Kyoko.

**I also want to thank NatsuxLucy4ever (3145714) for taking the time to review most if not all my chapters. You really made my day.**


	32. Ready or Not, Here She Comes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(32) Ready or Not, Here She Comes

He took a deep, calming breath. "Well," he said to himself. "I'm as ready as I will ever be."

"One can never be _completely _ready for this," Tatsui remarked with a self-satisfied smile.

Ren narrowed his eyes at the director. Was it just him or did the director seemed a little… President-like? But before he could give the situation more thought, the scene burst in murmurs. _Kyoko must be ready, _Ren thought. He took another deep breath. He was ready. He could do this.

He turned his head, ready as he will ever be, and felt his jaw drop down.


	33. Blush

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(33) Blush

"How do I look?" Kyoko asked shyly, fiddling with fingers.

"Sexy," Tatsui reassured.

Kyoko reeled back in absolute horror.

"_Which, _is the look we're looking for," he said quickly.

Kyoko flushed.

Ren stared and watched as the blush in her cheeks darkened and spread. _Oh lord, _he thought as it spread downwards from her face to her neck. _How far down does it go? _

It was actually surprisingly painful for him to prevent his eyes from traveling any lower than her collarbone. He swallowed hard. "You look… fine, Mogami-san." _More than fine._

Tatsui narrowed his eyes. _What a tough cookie._


	34. Temptation

**Another update since I didn't two Saturdays ago.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(34) Temptation

Tatsui was actually surprised at Mogami's transformation. It was amazing what a quick brush of make-up, a revealing bikini and a wig could do to a girl. She was quite the beauty and he actually felt his stomach flutter at the sight and he didn't even like her!

_You are good, Cookie. Very good. _He watched the younger man clutched and unclutched his fingers in a pathetic attempt to cool his instincts. _I will take great pleasure in breaking you._

"Mogami-san," he called out cheerfully. "Do you mind pulling down the top just a tad bit? It'll look better."

"_Eh?"_


	35. Sin

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(35) Sin

Ren watched with wide-eyed horror (and fascination) as Kyoko did what she was told.

"I-is that better?" she squeaked out.

Tatsui stared at her breasts for a moment and held back a smirk as he felt a dark, biting aura to his left. "A perfect fit, wouldn't you agree, Tsuruga-san?"

"Yes," Ren bit out.

"Did you look?"

Ren narrowed his eyes again but it only lasted a moment before he slid his gaze back towards Kyoko. He cleared his throat. "I don't think that's appropriate," he replied stiffly.

"Hm… you're right," Tatsui agreed and promptly looked over at Kyoko again.


	36. Advice

**I just want to thank everyone for adding this story to your favorites, watch list and of course for taking your time to review. Each and every review (good or bad, as long as they're not immature) means a lot to me and makes me want to write more. Thank you so much! It's you guys that make me continue writing up chapters. Without you guys, **_**Tease **_**would probably remain an idea in my head with chapters coming every once in a while. So thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(36) Advice

"Mogami-san?"

"Yes?" Kyoko squeaked.

"You're going to be modeling _Skin_'s latest bikini."

"Yes."

"Mogami-san, I need you to do this with confidence, as if you were born doing this."

"B-but—"

Tatsui wrapped an arm around the girl's thin, bare shoulders and allowed it to linger. _Come on, _he taunted in his mind. _Give me your best shot, Cookie._

"Um!"

"Think of this as acting," Tatsui said, pretending not to notice Kyoko's discomfort. "You're playing a confident woman who enjoys showing off both her body and her outfit. She is not ashamed."

Kyoko nodded. "I guess that could work…"

"Excellent."

**Finals start next week guys! Wish me luck! Gotta study hard!**


	37. Depths of Thy Soul

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(37) Depths of Thy Soul

Kyoko was given five minutes to "find herself"—or more specifically, the woman in her—deep, deep inside of her—that wasn't afraid to show off some skin. Natsu would most likely work, of course, but Kyoko didn't want a repeat of what happened the other day. She blushed at the memory. The only reason that she—Natsu—had flirted with Tsuruga-san the way she did was because she wanted to give the playboy a taste of his own medicine.

_And look where that got me,_ she mourned silently. _I will never be able to respectfully play Natsu ever again!_


	38. All Our Choices

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters**

Tease  
[38] All Our Choices

Kyoko took a breath. If it wasn't Natsu, who else could it be? Mio was definitely out of the question; she would just scare the photographer away. Setsuka probably couldn't be played without her precious nii-san.

She took another breath, it _had _to be Natsu.

She could do this.

She _had _to do this.

Kyoko closed her eyes, breathing deeply. All she had to do was play Natsu and tone her down a bit, still confident, proper and cool, just not as… flirtatious…. and mean… but argh! She couldn't do this. Flirtation with attitude is what made up Natsu's character!

**Thank you so much for wishing me luck on my finals! Ended the semester with a 4.0! Thank you, again! **


	39. Trapped

**A small reward for being such amazing readers. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[39] Trapped

"Is she alright?" Tatsui asked worriedly, watching Kyoko sob as she rolled herself into a ball.

"I… think so…" Ren answered hesitantly.

Silence.

Ren turned his attention away from Kyoko for a moment and took his time to observe Tatsui. He didn't seem to have that love-sick expression Yashiro always said that Ren had when Kyoko was around but that didn't mean….

"Tatsui-san?"

"Hm?"

"I heard that you requested Mogami-san for the shoot specifically, is that true?"

Tatsui resisted a snort. _That's right, Cookie. Come to papa. Make me cry._

"Yes. Indeed, I did," he answered. "And what of it?"


	40. Limits

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[40] Limits

Ren stared. "I… didn't know you were interested in Mogami-san like that."

"Oh," Tatsui said. "But I am! She's just so beautiful!"

Ren felt his eyebrow twitch. _Aren't you a little too old for her? _How old _was _the director anyway? Twenty-six?

"I know what you're thinking," Tatsui interrupted. "But age is just a number when it comes to love." He clasped his hands passionately over his heart. "My feelings for Mogami-san have no boundary. It—"

"Tsuruga-san, Tatsui-san," Kyoko interrupted.

Ren blinked and looked up. He blinked again.

They watched as a slow—sexy—grin stretched Kyoko's lips. "I'm ready."


	41. Confidence

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(41) Confidence

The gods must seriously be against him.

_Natsu, _Ren thought. _Nat. Su. Why? Why? _Why _does it have to be Natsu? _

"Nervous, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked, the barest hint of a smile touching her lips as the makeup artists fixed her wig.

"Not at all, Mogami-san," Ren replied confidently.

"Hmm…"

Ren looked up and over at Kyoko. Usually, at this time he knew that Natsu would have said something like, "Oh, you will be though," so he was more than a little surprise when she hadn't. His eyes widened in realization. Did Kyoko just made up a character on the spot?


	42. Just a Little More

**Thank you mangaEATER-chan (anonymous) for correcting my mistakes in the previous chapter, it means a lot! If any other mistakes are caught, please feel free to let me know!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(42) Just a Little More

"Move your hand a little lower, Tsuruga-san."

_Come on, Cookie! Feel up her ass!_

Ren obeyed, trailing his fingers down lighter and slower than he should of. When Kyoko shuddered in his arms, he almost lost it.

_Be a man, damn it!_

"A little lower," Tatsui insisted. He ignored the flat glare from his photographer and resisted the urge to give him the finger. Just a little more. Just a little more and he will break Tsuruga's perfect persona. He could do this.

"And if your other hand can just reach out and lightly palm her cheek."

_That's right, Cookie._

**If you guys were hoping for an early update, you can thank Konosa. I have been forced. Depending on her, I might start updating twice a week.**


	43. Hell - First Layer

**Regarding your question Voidy (anonymous): I'll leave it up to your imagination.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(43) Hell – First Layer

It was sheer torture to put himself in compromising positions with the object of his desire and not being able to touch—and oh gods! Her breasts were so very close.

"Now, last shot for today."

_Thank god!_

"Tsuruga-san, if you could lay your head down on Mogami-san's inner thigh…"

_What?_

"That's right. And Mogami-san, if you could part your legs more."

Kyoko's persona slipped for a moment and she whimpered softly but was quick to recover.

"Wider! Perfect."

The only thing that held Ren back was the fact that if he took her now they would have an audience.

**If you guys are interested in an art or fanfiction request, please follow the links on my profile page (given under my FAQ section). I'm curious to see what you guys want me to draw or write about. Requests can be anonymous so don't feel shy.**

**Other news: **_**Tease **_**will now be updated on Wednesdays and Saturdays unless I'm lazy or down in the dumps. Other than that, thank you for taking your time with my story!**


	44. Control

**Voidy (anonymous), thank you for catching my mistake in the previous chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(44) Control

"Are you alright?" asked Yashiro, wincing.

Ren had his head buried into his arms and was giving off his very own Mio-like aura.

"No."

Thank goodness they were alone in Ren's private changing room and that Kyoko wasn't anywhere nearby to tempt and tease Ren's control again. That girl had abilities millions of others could only dream of having and she was completely oblivious.

"Do you need a minute?"

"Yes."

"I'm surprised you managed to keep _it _down," Yashiro said slyly, unable to help himself.

Ren jabbed a finger in the direction of the door without looking up. "Get out."


	45. Uncovered

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(45) Uncovered

"Anyway, you should have seen everyone else staring at Kyoko. They weren't shy about it."

Ren's head snapped up at the reminder. "Yashiro…" he began hesitantly. "Did Director Tatsui seem a little odd to you?"

"Odd?" The manager paled. "In what way? What do you mean?"

Ren shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Like he was… hitting on Mogami-san?"

"No." Yashiro answered quickly and without the slightest hesitation.

Ren raised his eyebrow at the quick denial. "No?"

"Ren, I would be more worried if he was hitting on you."

Ren blinked.

"He's gay."

Ren blinked again.

"It means he likes men."

**Zero (anonymous), I can't believe you guessed it. Just in time too.**


	46. Suspicions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(46) Suspicions

"I can't believe you thought Tatsui was hitting on Kyoko!" Yashiro threw his hands up into the air. "He was probably hitting on _you!_You are so oblivious!_"_

Ren pursed his lips.

Yashiro eyed Ren. "Are you sure that Kyoko hadn't been flirting with you this whole time and you just tossed that off as normal Kyoko attitude?"

"Yashiro, Tatsui-san has _not _been hitting on me."

"Are you—"

"I think I would know if he was."

"Well," Yashiro said. "He wasn't hitting on Kyoko-chan!"

Ren narrowed his eyes dangerously. There was something about this situation that didn't add up.


	47. Misunderstandings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(47) Misunderstandings

"The director specifically requested Kyoko," Ren whispered to himself.

Yashiro leaned closer to Ren. "What?"

"The president practically _forced _me to take on the job."

"What are you talking about?"

Ren narrowed his eyes in realization. The president's smug smile when he accepted, Tatsui's flirtation, the compromising positions he forced onto him and Kyoko. The director wasn't interested in Kyoko, he had _never _been interested in her. This is all part of the president's plan. Then he realized something else and slowly turned his face towards Yashiro, "You… you cleared up my schedule."

"What—"

"I'm going to kill you."

**News I think you guys might be interested in: **_**Tease **_**will be made into doujinshi comic strips (a chapter a page). The first page should be out within the next month (links will be given once they actually come out). Although there really is no point in drawing what has already been written, I thought you guys might enjoy the visual pictures and it'll help me improve my art skills.**


	48. Interruptions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(48) Interruptions

Kyoko took a deep, calming breath as she knocked on the door. "Tsuruga-san?"

Nothing.

She frowned worriedly and wondered if Tsuruga-san was alright. He did seem a little odd during the shoot earlier. She then gasped at a sudden thought. Maybe he skipped breakfast earlier!

"Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko shouted, throwing open the door with a loud _crack _as it hit the wall. "You can't skip break—"

She froze and did a double-take at the scene in front of her.

"This isn't what it looks like," Tsuruga-san said, his hand frozen in mid-reach towards Yashiro-san's neck.

"Kyoko-chan!" Yashiro-san cried. "Save me!"


	49. Escape

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(49) Escape

"This is _exactly _what it looks like," Yashiro cried. "Ren is trying to kill me and I don't even know why!"

Kyoko blinked. "Tsuruga-san?"

Ren forced a chuckle which came out more nervous-sounding then he wanted. "It was a joke." He paused. "Isn't that right, Yashiro-san?"

Yashiro could almost feel invisible hands wrapping around his neck and strangling him. "Heh… that's right."

"Now, if you would excuse me, Mogami-san," Ren replied smoothly. "I need to talk to the director."

"Eh? Director Tatsui? But he already left!"

"Pardon?"

"Something about telling the president the good news."

_I'm going to kill them!_


	50. Director Cupid

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(50) Director Cupid

"So I'm guessing you're going to be giving up your title, _Director Cupid?_"

Tatsui narrowed his eyes. "Didn't I tell just you that Cookie was _this _close to being overcome by desire?"

"Indeed… but he didn't _break, _now did he?"

Tatsui waved off the comment. "I still have about a week to work with him."

"But you usually break people in a—"

"He's a formidable opponent," Tatsui admitted, eyes flashing angrily. And: "Are you sure he's interested in the girl?"

Lory raised an eyebrow. "Have you seen the way he looks at her?"

"So he's not just deprived of sex?"


	51. Secrets of the Past

**For those that are interested: I have the cover page for the Doujinshi version of ****_Tease_**** up. You can find the link in my profile page (listed under Announcements). Feel free to send a private message my way if it doesn't work.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(51) Secrets of the Past

"Unfortunate for you but I don't think Tsuruga Ren would so easily give into his desires."

Tatsui raised an eyebrow at the change of tone. "What do you mean?"

Lory sighed. "It's not my place to tell."

"Wait," Tatsui exclaimed, eyes wide with suspicion. "Wait; don't tell me he's like gay or something."

Lory felt his eye twitch. "Do you even hear yourself?" He shook his head. "He's a bit like the old you, Mamoru."

Tatsui raised his eyebrows. "Victim of attempted murder?"

"No."

"Suspect of an attempted murder?"

"No.

"Suspect of an actual murder?"

"No. Wait a—what?"

**Okay, here's the thing: Tatsui started out as just a character that was just supposed to be a catalyst and make Ren and Kyoko end up together but the more and more I wrote about him, the more and more I based him off one of my closest friends.**

**I highly doubt I'll dedicate entire chapters to him and his past but I might (just a fair warning). I realize that this is a Ren and Kyoko story and some of you might not care but please realize that this ****_is _****my story. I have the right to include it if I want but I do promise you that he will never take the spotlight from Ren and Kyoko. **


	52. Takes One to Know One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(52) Takes One to Know One

"I can't see anyone with a past darker than mine," Tatsui mused.

Lory narrowed his eyes. "You don't sound surprise to hear that Tsuruga Ren had a dark past… you knew." He leaned back in his chair. "I suspected as much…"

"Are you kidding me?" Tatsui asked. "It takes one to know one, Mr. President. That self-control! Have you seen the man? I practically forced him to stuff his face into her breasts—"

"You _what?"_

"—and he only clutched his hands into tight little fists. Gods! He didn't even have an erection!"

Lory's mouth dropped open.

_"You what?"_


	53. Painting the Future

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(53) Painting the Future

"He's going to kill me."

"You were the one asking me of this!"

"I wanted temptation," Lory shouted. "Not forced seduction."

"If I was going to forced seduce him, I would have made her strip."

Lory stared. Then sighed; he forgot how blunt and forceful Mamoru Tatsui was. "He's going to kill me," he moaned. "I'm going to get sued for pornography and he's going to kill me."

"At least she's of age," Tatsui pointed out happily.

Lory glared. "He's going to kill me."

"You already said that," Tatsui pointed out. "Are you going to include me in your will?"


	54. Coming Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(54) Coming Out

"I think he suspects me," Tatsui murmured, wrinkling his nose as Cookie shot him quite an evil glare.

"Yes," Yashiro said. "I apologized… but I might have told him."

Tatsui blinked. "Oh? Told him? Told him what?"

"T-That," he stammered. "That you were… uh, well, gay."

Tatsui gave him a confused look. "Oh. Is that so?" And: _Good try but I don't think we're talking about the same thing, dear manager._

But the thought didn't stop him from winking at Cookie and blowing him a kiss only to feel more than a little disappointed when Cookie narrowed his eyes suspiciously.


	55. Clearing up the Fog

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(55) Clearing Up the Fog

"I think I was wrong," Yashiro said a few minutes later. "He wasn't hitting on you."

_No shit, _Ren thought.

"He seemed to be taking great pleasure in your…"

"Pain?" Ren offered. "Suffering?"

"Well… yes…" Yashiro mumbled. "Among other things…"

"He's on par with the president," Ren replied darkly. He turned towards Yashiro. "And you had _nothing_ to do with this?"

"No!" Yashiro exclaimed. "I didn't! I did it so you could spend more time with Kyoko-chan! But not like this!"

"Alright," Tatsui shouted, clapping his hand for emphasis. "Places, people! Let's get this started!"

_Well, hell, here I come._


	56. Hell - Second Layer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(56) Hell – Second Layer

Kyoko snapped out of her Model-san persona, giggled and efficiently ruined the shot. "I'm sorry, it's just that Tsuruga-san's breath tickled."

Ren resisted the urge to let the full weight of his head fall onto Kyoko's stomach

"I'm really sorry, Tsuruga-san."

"It's fine," he muttered darkly and glanced up at Director Tatsui who had the most horrifying, self-satisfied smirk he had ever seen in his life. He was clearly in hell and that man was clearly the devil.

Kyoko wiggled herself back into position and Ren felt heat explode throughout his entire body straight down to his—_oh. God. No!_


	57. A Much Needed Break

**Thank you Loca8892 (1106883) for the typo correction in the last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(57) A Much Needed Break

"Excuse me," Ren said, yanking himself up from his previous position. "Bathroom break." He didn't wait for a response and hightailed to the beach's public bathroom, he threw the door into the wall behind it in his attempt to open it.

Yashiro's hand froze over the sink as he stared at his charge.

"Get out," Ren said. "Now."

He did not need to be told twice.

Yashiro was left blinking as the door slammed loudly behind him. With a sigh and a suspicion on what must have happened, he turned, promptly squealed and jumped out of his skin. "Director Tatsui!"

**And for mrs. zala (2283106) who has been nothing but an amazing reviewer (takes place before Ren runs away):**

Tease  
(57.5) Warmth

His body was warm against hers and with hard muscles pressing through his shirt against her softer skin, Kyoko realized that Tsuruga Ren was all male. And that fact alone was enough to send her heart pounding.

The scent of something sweet, male and _Ren _forced her body to shiver against her will. She took in a shallow breath, urging herself to remain calm since this was only her sempai after all but…

But…

And when his breath ghosted over the fine hair of her body, she realized that the heat in her stomach was pulsing against his every breath.


	58. Falling Down with You

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(58) Falling Down with You

"So you and the president really were working together."

"Sort of," Tatsui said. "He asked me for a favor and I agreed."

"You're really here all the way from France just to help the president with a favor?"

Tatsui eyed the light-haired manager. "What makes you think I don't have other jobs?"

"Do you?"

Tatsui pursed his lips. "No…" he finally admitted.

"Then why—"

"I fell in love with his eyes," Tatsui interrupted.

Yashiro's eyebrows shot upwards and he opened his mouth to reply when a loud _bam _echoed from within the bathroom.

"Is he _really_ masturbating in there?"


	59. Prodigy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(59) Prodigy

Yashiro had only worked with Tatsui once before. It had been during his second year as a manager (before even Ren) when he had met the younger director. Tatsui had popped into the entertainment industry out of nowhere, climbing to the top as a prodigy in a span of six months. Every commercial he directed, every drama he was in charge of, every photo he wanted always, always, _always _became the next big hit.

So it hadn't been a surprise when Tatsui decided to move to France in order to pursue goals that he couldn't have pursued while in Japan.


	60. Story of Cupid

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(60) Story of Cupid

Of course, his works weren't the only thing Tatsui had been famous for. Yashiro was pretty sure the young director was also famous for manipulating his stars and making them fall in love with each other.

He didn't set up every single one of his workers together, of course, which was why Yashiro didn't think that he was matchmaking—Tsuruga Ren! Of all people!

It was unfortunate since Ren was already madly in love with his co-model. _I need to set his sight straight, _Yashiro thought, eyeing the younger woman that was walking towards them, biting her lower lip worriedly.


	61. Surprise!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(61) Surprise!

Ren wasn't surprised when he opened the door to find both Yashiro and Tatsui waiting for him, he had expected that. He was, however, surprised that they hadn't had their ears pressed against the door. And he was more than shock to see Kyoko, kneeling in front of him like—his imagination took over, he swears!—she was about to give him a blowjob.

"Mogami-san!"

"Tsuruga-san," she began softly. "Do you…"

He didn't hear the rest of her sentence since he was too busy staring down at the valley between her breasts. _Oh dear, _he thought. _Here we go again._


	62. Little Ren-Chan

**Sorry, I think I forgot to update yesterday.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(62) Little Ren-Chan

"He hates me!" Kyoko wailed when Ren closed the bathroom door again. "I ruined the shot by letting myself laugh and now he hates me!"

"I don't think that's the problem Kyoko-chan," Yashiro said.

"Then why did he just shut the door?"

Tatsui sighed and kneeled down so he was at the same level as the younger girl. "He's having issues with Little Ren-chan," he replied seriously.

Kyoko blinked. "Little… Ren… chan?"

He nodded. "It's his—"

Yashiro yanked the director back roughly, covering his mouth with a hand. "Director," he whispered in a panic. "I don't think that's appropriate!"


	63. Confrontations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(63) Confrontations

When Ren came out of the bathroom five minutes later—"It was only a stomachache," Yashiro had explained to worried bystanders—he had everything under tight control.

"Director," he addressed stiffly. "After this shoot, I would like to have a private word with you." His voice was harsh, cold and made the audience do a double-take. Was this really the gentlemen Ren?

Tatsui, however, was not the least bit fazed. "Is that wise?"

"Pardon?"

"You're so quick to give me a warning." A slow smile stretched across his lips. "Do you think I'll let you survive to the end, Tsuruga-san?"


	64. Darkness in Your Eyes

**Thank you so much for all the support lately! I've been going through quite a bit of personal issues so your positive words always managed to cheer me up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(64) Darkness in Your Eyes

Tatsui's eyes were a striking blue—not an unusual color—but they flashed brilliantly under the sunlight. The flash, however wasn't what made Ren pull back and stare. There was a familiar light in them—a light that reminded him of the past and the reason he left it all behind. A light that he had hidden and locked away in the depths of his soul. A light that should not be in the eyes of Tatsui Mamori.

"Who _are_ you?"

Tatsui clasped a hand over his heart in mock horror, "You didn't hit your head while masturbating, did you?"


	65. Ahead of the Game

**I just want to remind people that as mentioned in the summary, ****_Tease _****is a drabble series. Each chapter is exactly one hundred words. No more. No less.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(65) Ahead of the Game

Ren almost choked. "I didn't—I never—I—never mind."

"Don't mind him," the photographer said to a frozen Kyoko, petting her on the back. "He's always like this. We're used to this by now but I guess we really should have warned you guys." He shook his head, sighing before walking up to the director and giving his sleeve a hard yank. "Come on, Mamoru, let's get back to work."

Tatsui grumbled something unflattering underneath his breath, glaring at the photographer. He glanced towards Ren and then brightened up. "Survival of the fittest," he said to actor, "Good luck."


	66. Not Quite

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
(66) Not Quite

Twenty minutes and three almost hard-ons later found Kyoko sprawled over Ren's lap and looking up at him as if he was the only man in the world. He didn't allow himself to enjoy Kyoko's close presence knowing it was exactly what both the director and president wanted. He couldn't afford to break.

As if sensing the younger man's thoughts, Tatsui got up quietly and left the scene.

Although curious, Ren felt himself relax without Tatsui's presence. He looked back at Kyoko and allowed himself to smile reassuringly at her before putting on a more serious expression for the shoot.


	67. Forbidden Box

**To the anonymous reviewer: Sorry to burst your bubble but this story will be going beyond a hundred chapters. If it's too long for you, I suggest you quit reading now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[67] Forbidden Box

He tracked down and cornered Tatsui right after the shoot before the young director could make his escape of the day. Ren was not about to let the man off, flouncing towards the president so they could giggle about a job well done. Tatsui Mamoru was a box of secrets and Ren would stop at nothing to unravel each and every one of them.

"We," Ren said darkly, his arms hung at his side, as if relaxed. His eyes glittered dangerously and his voice low and sharp, sounding nothing like the Tsuruga Ren everyone was used to, "need to talk."


	68. Rush of the Blood

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[68] Rush of the Blood

Tatsui was a man that lived for the thrill and it excited him to see such a dangerous—murderous—gaze in the younger man's eyes. A slow smile stretched across his lips and his own eyes glinted at the upcoming challenge. When was the last time someone had approached him with such a strong killing aura? When was the last time someone was ready for a fight? He felt a familiar tingle worming down his spine.

"Bring it," Tatsui said to him, just as darkly. He licked his lips almost as if in anticipation. And then, as an afterthought: "_Cookie."_


	69. Disappointment

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[69] Disappointment

"I was confronted by Cookie today," Tatsui said in a tender voice.

Lory raised an eyebrow. "So he figured it out?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"And?"

Tatsui dropped his face into his hands, as if crying. "Disappointing," he tsked. "I was so very, very ready for a fight."

"A fight?" Lory repeated. Slowly. "Are you stupid?"

"He's really serious about keeping up that persona of his, isn't he?" And: "He wanted to _kill _me. I could _feel _it."

"I worry about you sometimes, Mamoru."

The younger man continued on as if he didn't hear him. "And then… he just… talked."


	70. The Ultimate Thrill

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[70] The Ultimate Thrill

"And did you have a nice talk?"

Tatsui shrugged halfheartedly. "Nah, I stopped listening the second he opened his mouth. Something about responsibility and blah, blah, blah. Oh, there might have been something about with not knowing my intent or whatever." He turned towards the President. "You know, he really shouldn't hide himself like that."

"Hm?"

"I mean, you can bottle up all that darkness but it's just going to grow bigger and bigger." His eyes darkened. "And then one day, it'll just explode."

And blood will stain the floor.

And death will dirty your hands.

Blood.

Death.

_The thrill._


	71. A Predator

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[71] A Predator

Natsu tapped a finger against the smooth surface of the table. Once. Twice.

"I'm going to remove your make-up now, Naa-chan!"

The young actress lifted her head and stared at her make-up artist coolly. "Wait."

"Eh?"

Natsu turned her attention towards the mirror in front of her and frowned thoughtfully. She remembered his striking blue eyes and smiled. "I have something to do before I break character," she said. Her smile turned into a smirk and her eyes flashed like a predator on a hunt.

The make-up artist shuddered and wondered what poor idiot pissed off the usually nice actress.


	72. Shocking

**Voidy (anonymous): I didn't put any thought into the gender of the make-up artist. Go with your imagination, I guess.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[72] Shocking

Tatsui squealed like a young child when he got back into his hotel room and saw someone—a shadowed figure, to be precise—making herself quite at home on his couch. He covered his pounding chest with both hands, trying to tell himself that someone broke into his hotel room and he had an _excuse_—a _real_ one_—_to fight now but then again this wasn't exactly the thrill he was looking for.

Swallowing hard he then turned to face the figure again, hand groping the wall for the light switch.

It took him a moment to recognize her.

_"Mogami-san?"_


	73. The Hunt

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[73] The Hunt

"Yes indeed," she answered back coolly, "but call me Natsu, please, Director-san." The look in her eyes left no room for argument; it wasn't a request.

He glanced at her suspiciously. "How did you get in here?"

"The boy at the front desk was _most _helpful," Kyoko—Natsu—answered, smiling, teeth flashing in the light.

_She's like a predator_, he thought and then shuddered. "Uh… huh." His heart was still pounding. He _really _needed to turn the advantage around. He couldn't believe he was being shaken by a girl almost ten years younger than him. Was he losing his touch?


	74. Prey

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[74] Prey

"Please," Natsu said, waving a hand out. "Have a seat."

Tatsui had to remind himself that this was his territory—not hers!—when he sat down.

"Now," she said, smoothly getting up from her seat and glided towards him.

_Like a panther_, his mind supplied. He almost squeaked, feeling very much like a rabbit.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm here," she breathed in his ear.

"Obviously not for the sex," he muttered. There was a shift in the air as Natsu's aura faltered for a brief second and Tatsui almost sighed in relief before it snapped back, full force.


	75. My Eyes and Yours

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[75] My Eyes and Yours

"You have the eyes of the hunter, Director-san."

He felt his eyes twitch. _Really? Because I'm not feeling much like a hunter here._

"They're bitter; cold and flat," she continued. Then she was in front of him. "They seek revenge."

His eyes widened with shock and then narrowed dangerously.

"I know this because I'm quite familiar with the prospect." Then her eyes darkened and Tatsui was back to shivering in his clothes. "The main point is," she continued, turning her full attention towards him, "that you seem to make it your life's goal to make Tsuruga-san miserable."

_Oh dear god._


	76. Miserable

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[76] Miserable

"No, no, no! _No!_" he said quickly, holding up a hand. "Revenge, yes! On Co—Tsuruga, no."

_Please don't kill me._

Natsu's eyes flashed towards the clock. "You have a minute."

He blinked in shock. _A minute?_ _What? _And then he got it. "I became famous to get power and money—" Natsu faltered "—but that had _nothing _to do with Tsuruga. He's more of a… well…" Then: "Hey, hey! Wait a minute, you _knew _he was miserable?"

She stared.

"Do you know _why?"_

She arched a perfect brow. "Should I?"

_That poor man, _Tatsui thought pityingly. _That poor, poor man._


	77. Enough is Enough

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[77] Enough is Enough

The girl was protecting Tsuruga. Tatsui almost cracked a smile at that. She didn't even know why the young man was miserable—it really was _her _fault, of course, but he wasn't going to be the one telling her that—but she was protecting him anyway. It was almost… cute. She was so oblivious and he was so hardheaded. They were seriously perfect for each other!

"It appears I misunderstood."

"Yes!" He nodded, almost desperately. _Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!_

She knelt down. "But you _are _making him miserable."

"Um!" Another squeak.

"Cease and desist at once."

"Yes!"


	78. Monster Under My Bed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[78] Monster Under My Bed

"_You asshole_!" Tatsui snapped into the phone. "Warn me about how scary _he _is but you don't tell me shit about her!"

Silence. Then:

_"Wait, what? Are you talking about Mogami-san?"_

"That woman's a fuckin' monster!"

_"Can't exactly argue with that,"_ Lory said, _"But I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about."_

Tatsui felt ready to burst into a puddle of tears. His heart was still pounding; that woman cannot be taken lightly. "I thought I was about to die! I almost peed my pants."

_"What are you going on about?" _Lory shrieked. _"Mogami-san made you pee your pants? How?"_


	79. Interlude: Sleep, My Child

**All Intermission chapters will be snippets of Tatsui (some may be about his past) and will have nothing to do with the main plot of the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[79] Intermission – Sleep, My Child

"I don't understand," Tatsui began, unable to sleep despite the comfort of his own bed. "No one knows any better. Not even Mr. President in all his glory and that man's a _monster _at reading people. But she's… she's like… she _knows."_

"Please," his photographer muttered. "If you called for a sleepover then go to sleep. Let's talk tomorrow."

"But—"

"Sleep."

Tatsui frowned. "Make me."

"Keep this up and I _will_ go home."

"No!" Tatsui panicked, "What if she comes back?" He reached out, grabbing a fistful of the photographer's shirt in case he was actually serious about leaving.


	80. Faults

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[80] Faults

Ren usually hated when people didn't take their jobs seriously but he couldn't bring himself to be angry or even annoyed at the director when he was twenty… thirty… forty… fifty minutes late. He swallowed guiltily and wondered if it was his fault. Maybe he shouldn't have confronted the director like that… maybe he should have held back a bit more.

Maybe…

Maybe…

But then again, the director didn't seem scared at all yesterday; he seemed excited, _thrilled, _and then disappointed. Ren narrowed his eyes; he definitely wasn't scared.

"I wonder where Director Tatsui is," he murmured.

Kyoko only whimpered.


	81. Cut-Off

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[81] Cut-Off

"Don't worry, Mogami-san, I'm sure he'll show up soon," Ren reassured because Kyoko might be thinking that the director's absence was her fault or something equally as stupid.

She only whimpered some more.

Ren had a feeling that he was reading the situation incorrectly. "Mogami-san?"

"It's all my fault!" Kyoko wailed without warning. She dropped to her knees and sobbed.

"What? Mogami-san…"

But she wasn't listening. "It was because I went to his place—"

"You _what?"_

_"_And I practically _forced _him to—"

"_Forced?"_

"And he kept trying to get me to leave but I—"

Ren's heart stopped.


	82. She-Devil

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[82] She-Devil

"Geez," a new voice interrupted. "Now they're going to think you took advantage of me."

Everyone froze.

Then:

"Tatsui-san!" she cried out happily, making a step towards him.

Ren felt himself paling.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Tatsui said, his throat working. He coughed and thought, _Please stay away from me._

"I thought something happened," she whimpered.

_Yea, _he thought. _I almost died, no thanks to you. _He coughed again.

"Are you… _ill?" _Ren asked, suspiciously.

"No, I just feel the she-devil tickling my spine," answered Tatsui, completing the sentence with hand movements, fingers wiggling. "Now, let's get this party started."


	83. Glass Half-Full

**So… I forgot to update Saturday… sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[83] Glass Half-Full

Yashiro was the one who stepped up and asked the question everyone wanted to ask; that brave, brave soul. "Kyoko-chan… was at your place?"

The director stopped in the middle of his finger wiggling and turned to look at him. He didn't say anything for a moment, then: "Yes." Followed by: "And may that never happen again." He most pointedly did not look in Kyoko's direction who whimpered and hid her face as best she could.

"I'm sorry!" she cried out. "Natsu just does things on her own sometimes!"

Ren gasped. "Natsu was the one at your place? _Natsu_? Why?"


	84. Switch

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[84] Switch

_Not for the reason you're thinking of, _Tatsui thought.

Outwardly, he ignored Ren's words. "Okay," he said with another cough and then clapped his hands together. "Mogami-san, today it's your turn!"

She looked up, "Huh?"

Ren frowned, obviously not appreciating the fact that he was being ignored.

"Before we had Cookie-san"—_Cookie?—_"lead you into poses while you sat there and looked sexy." Kyoko's eyes went wide. "This time, _you _will be the one touchi—leading and he'll be the one sitting and looking sexy." A grin stretched his lips. "Can you do this, Mogami-san?"

Revenge; how he missed it.


	85. Revenge Plan Maybe

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[85] Revenge Plan… Maybe

Kyoko panicked. She's leading? What does he mean _she's _leading? Why is she leading? Shouldn't Tsuruga-san—she paled; no, this is her bikini shot. She was modeling the bikini, _not _Tsuruga-san. Of course, she was bond to lead sooner or later.

But…

But…

_Okay, _she thought to herself fiercely. _I can do this. I have to!_

Looking up she caught the director's gaze and held it fearlessly. "Of course I can do this," she cooed with a flirtation wink.

Tatsui paled, feeling that his revenge plan had a very high chance of backfiring on him. _Is that _Natsu? _Oh lord._

**Before anyone gets confused, that was ****_not _****Natsu. It's her model-san but remember that her model-san is just a toned down version of Natsu so Tatsui doesn't really know the difference.**


	86. Center of My World

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[86] Center of My World

"Now," not-Kyoko said with a giggle. "How should we start?"

Ren stared down his nose at the finger that was trailing teasingly down his bare chest. _Um! Haven't they already started?_

"Hm…" she said; her only warning before she climbed into his lap.

_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god._

Kyoko reached out and cupped his face with her hands, looking at him with such tender eyes and a gentle smile it made him wish… She leaned closer and suddenly all he could see was her, the background faded and everything else was forgotten.

Ren closed his eyes.


	87. Picture Perfect

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[87] Picture Perfect

"Take a close-up of their faces," Tatsui whispered to Photographer-san.

Who gave him an unimpressed flat stare, "Shouldn't I be taking pictures of their _bodies_—especially hers since this is a bikini—"

"You're fired."

Photographer-san was not fazed. "Mamoru… _please. _This is Tsuruga-san you're trying to emb—"

Tatsui turned towards the photographer calmly and held back another cough. "Is there a reason why you're so obsess with taking pictures of Mogami-san's chest?" he asked, loudly. People turned and stared but the couple had yet to break pose.

The photographer sighed.

"This is an order. Do it."

"Yes, sir."


	88. In Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[88] In Love

"Don't worry," Tatsui breathed lightly into his photographer's ear. "I'll cut out pictures of Mogami-san's chest for you."

"Mamoru, you're going to get me sick." He took another picture, zooming in like he was ordered to.

"Hmm, do you see that?"

"What?"

"Her expression?"

He blinked.

"That is the kind of expression that you can't fake no matter how good of an actress you are."

"So she's enjoying this."

"Well, of course," Tatsui agreed, his voice a mere hum. "She in love."

"Most girls are."

"Hm?"

"With Tsuruga-san, I mean."

Tatsui blinked, confused. "Cookie? Oh, no. I meant her job."


	89. Jealousy, Maybe Not

**Hey guys! This is Konosa. Kairou has been ignoring my love spam lately so I decided to get back at her by posting the next chapter up. Respond to my kindness with a favor, will you (and really this is more for your benefit than it is for mine)?**

**So, when you guys review, can you please say something along the lines of: "Your friends Konosa has hacked into your account and posted a chapter." I'm afraid she's not going to realize this and will post a repeat chapter on the next posting date.**

**Also! Kairou has like the next ten chapters already typed up. Tell her that you guys deserve more than a chapter a week! It's only a hundred words long! Sheesh.**

**Cha!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[89] Jealousy, Maybe Not

The photographer watched as the couple changed positions. "So, she's _not _in love with him?" He wasn't sure exactly what relationship Tsuruga had with the one called Kyoko but it didn't seem of the typical sort. Of course, what could he say? He doesn't actually know that man.

Tatsui shrugged.

And he watched them a little longer, remembering to take pictures and guessed, "But he's in love with her…"

"Jealous?" Tatsui raised a mocking eyebrow.

He wasn't sure if Mamoru was talking about being jealous of Tsuruga-san or Mogami-san. With him it could be anyone. "Why so interested?" he countered.

**Remember to let her know I posted this chapter without her permission! YOU GUYS DON'T WANT A REPEAT CHAPTER! And tell her to stop ignoring my love!**


	90. A Closed Book

**Update: Kairou just texted me: "Stop spamming me." So you guys are getting another chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[90] A Closed Book

"He's easy to read," Tatsui explained. "Angry, hidden, _in love, _etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. But her…" Tatsui shuddered as if remembering a very bad memory. "She's like a chameleon. One minute she's all sweet and innocent and oblivious and the next… _bam! _She gets a look in her eyes that make you want to piss yourself."

"Did you?" Another question. Another snapshot.

"Did I what?"

"Piss yourself?"

Tatsui wrinkled his nose, frowning. "Almost." He sighed and then murmured, "You think you know her but then she turns around and becomes someone different. That's not acting. That's actuality."

What a frightening woman.


	91. Not Yourself

**Update: Kairou just texted me: "Woman, I will kill you." You guys know the drill.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[91] Not Yourself

"So…" Yashiro asked, approaching slowly. "What did you do?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean, Tatsui-san seems rather… uh, distant, today. Not forcing those… _positions."_

_Because Kyoko was doing a great job on her own, _Ren thought. Out loud, "I didn't do anything." Actually, he did, he talked, but Ren had a feeling that Tatsui did not hear a single word he said yesterday. His confrontation of the older man had been nothing but "Sir, I respect you but please stop whatever plan you have cooked up with the president."

And then halfway through the conversation, the man just got up and left.

**IS THAT WOMAN NOT CHECKING HER EMAIL?! HOW DOES SHE NOT KNOW I'M DOING THIS?!**


	92. Silent Threats

**So… I'm back—I can hear the disappointed groans already—I understand that this story had a rather eventful Saturday… Konosa sends her love, by the way.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[92] Silent Threats

"So, no problems, huh?" Yashiro asked, looking downwards at Ren's lap.

Ren flashed him a smile, all teeth and no feeling. "Yashiro-san, do you find your eyes useful?"

Yashiro shuddered. He looked away and cleared his throat as he pushed up his glasses. He wasn't sure exactly how he was supposed to respond to that. _Yes I find my eyes useful. Are you planning on poking them out with a dull stick?_

"I need to talk to the President," Ren said suddenly getting up from his seat.

"Eh? Why?"

He hesitated. "The director… he… knows too much, I think."

"Huh?"

**I understand that she knows my password… I'm just more curious on how she got my chapters. We don't live in the same country much less use the same computer. **


	93. More Than One Way to Ride

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[93] More Than One Way to Ride

"Mogami-san."

"Eh? Ah, Tsuruga-san!" She flushed a brilliant red and began looking everywhere but him.

_Which, _Ren thought, _is to be expected, especially after the photo-shoot._

"We're heading back to LME, do you need a lift?"

Kyoko blinked. "But… but I hate to impose—"

"No problem," Yashiro chirped. "We're going the same direction, after all. Ren would _love _to give you a ride, eh, eh?" He elbowed Ren slyly at the innuendo.

"Okay," Kyoko bowed, clapping her hands together, her eyes squeezed shut. "Thank you very much."

"No problem at all," Ren answered, smiling and elbowed Yashiro back. Harshly.

**I'm going to address the "Konosa issue" before things get out of hand. Due to my last comment, there are some people that either think I am actually Konosa and I'm just doing this for attention or that Konosa is a hacker. I wasn't going to do anything since I know the majority of you are joking but then I got a few concerning messages.**

**Thanks to someone's comment—and later confirmed by Konosa—I had completely forgotten that all the chapters of ****_Tease_****, including future ones are technically saved on the Internet. My documents are saved onto my ****_Microsoft SkyDrive, _****which is an online drive (useful to not lose your documents in case your computer gives out). Anyone with my password and the drive downloaded can access my documents.**

**So, in conclusion, Konosa is ****_not _****a hacker. All my passwords have been given to her freely so she is not doing anything illegal. **


	94. Anger

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[94] Anger

The ride started out quietly but Yashiro couldn't help himself: "So…" he began, despite the warning glare from his charge. "Why were you at Tatsui's place?"

Kyoko froze. "Uh…" She flushed. "Well… it's just that I—Um…" She panicked for a while.

Ren glared at the rear mirror. "Do you _usually _stop by random men's places, Mogami-san?" he asked darkly.

Yashiro gasped out loud.

Kyoko eyes went wide and stuttered, "N-no! It wasn't like that!"

"Then why were you there?" he asked, knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. He wanted to break something. _Anything. _Preferably Tatsui-san.


	95. From Bad to Worst

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[95] From Bad to Worst

"It's just that—I noticed that Tatsui-san was doing things that were making Tsuruga-san uncomfortable. Purposely! So I just… wanted to… ask him about that…" She lowered her head; asking wasn't exactly what Natsu did.

Ren almost had to stop the car; his eyes went wide and blood rushing throughout his body.

_Wow, _Yashiro thought. _Don't you feel like an asshole now?_

"He," Ren hesitated. "He didn't tell you _why… _did he?"

Kyoko looked up. "Eh? Why what?"

"Why… I was… uncomfortable?"

"Oh! Yes!"

Ren paled.

"He said… Little Ren-chan was upset."

_"Little Ren_—" He slammed on the brakes.


	96. Expecting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[96] Expecting

Ren smiled and waved at the secretary. And then almost kicked the door open as he walked into the President's office. Who needed appointments? "President!" he called out and then froze when he saw Tatsui on the couch.

He blinked.

Lory grinned, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "Ren! I was expecting you."

"Yea," Tatsui said, voice mumbled by his blankets. "Well I wasn't. Quiet down, will you? I have this killer headache."

Ren closed the door, frowning. He wasn't expecting this exact situation but that didn't mean he was going to turn around and admit defeat. "We need to talk."


	97. Fight

**Kelly all but demanded an update for her birthday… so…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[97] Fight

"Really now?" Tatsui mumbled. "I think I'll prefer sex instead."

Ren's eyebrow twitched.

"Now, now," Lory interrupted as if sensing Ren's murderous thoughts. "Let's all behave like adults." He looked at the pile of blankets. "And really, Mamoru, you wouldn't want to get Ren ill, now would you?"

Tatsui huffed and sat up. "I like to get everyone ill. I feel like shit." He turned towards Ren and smirked. "Besides, I could take him blind."

_I sincerely hope he's talking about the fighting kind of taking, _Ren thought.

"I fight with hatred, boy," Tatsui continued. "What do you fight with?"

**By the way, if you like Skip Beat and is into strong female characters and hot male leads totally in love with said female character but female character is too dense to notice, read Koi Dano Ai Dano. I am totally obsessed with it right now. There's a prequel but you don't ****_need _****to read it to get Koi Dano Ai Dano… I recommend you read it anyway.**


	98. Blood and Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[98] Blood and Death

Ren thought back to the car, the blood, and the death. Death, death, death. "Hatred," he mumbled, and then, "I'm familiar with that."

"Are you?" Tatsui asked with a smile and a cough. "And death?"

He smiled, a distant smile as memories of hatred, anger, blood and death flashed through his mind. "I'm familiar with that too."

Tatsui grinned. "I knew we were similar," he purred, his voice lower and huskier than usual. "Don't you just miss the adrenaline rush? The power? The control?"

Ren blinked, shocked back into the present, not expecting the sudden revelation, "I beg your pardon?"


	99. Shutter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[99] Shutter

"You're not like me at all, Cookie-san," Tatsui said, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"Please," said Lory with a sigh, "Ignore him, he's exaggerating."

"And you're over simplifying," he shot back.

Ren blinked, trying to remember why he was here in the first place.

"He didn't actually _kill _anyone," Lory explained before Ren could panic or something. "He _tried to_."

"Multiple times," Tatsui added, helpfully.

"But he didn't actually succeed."

"But my attempts did make him go insane."

Lory faltered. "Well… yes." Then, brightly: "But he's recovering!"

"Slowly," Tatsui added, a dark grin twisting his lips.


	100. Windows to Your Soul

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters. **

Tease  
[100] Windows to Your Soul

"I'm telling you all of this because your eyes are like mine," Tatsui explained. "When Mr. President first showed me your picture, I could tell from the very first glance that you were more than just _Tsuruga Ren."_

Ren froze.

"You may hide it very well from the public… but for those who know… those who lived through things like that, you're not trying very hard at all. I can see it. I see it in your eyes, in the stiffness of your muscles, the lines of your face. I see _everything_. You can't hide from the past forever, Tsuruga-san."

**We're at a 100 chapters, guys. Because I am now actually almost done typing up ****_Tease, _****updates from now on will possibly be more frequent (three times a week, anyone?). Thank you everyone for all your support, every read, favorite, and review means a lot to me. Every time I get another review, it makes me want to update more. **


	101. Your Light

**For all the brilliant responses yesterday. Thank you so much.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters. **

Tease  
[101] Your Light

Ren clenched his hand into a tight fist. What did he know? How dare he come out of nowhere and pretended that he understood him? How dare—

"One day," Tatsui interrupted. "Your past will burst forth and destroy everything you love."

Ren blinked, unable to deny the truth in his words. He thought of Kyoko, swallowing audibly.

"But," Tatsui murmured wistfully. "You have a light, don't you? Wish I had one." Then: "Now if you'll excuse me," he said, turning a nose into the air. "I need to go pee. Thoughts of Mogami is doing unspeakable things to my bladder."


	102. Difference Between You and I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[102] Difference Between You and I

"Has quite the character, doesn't he?" Lory asked minutes after the door closed. "Makes you speechless and everything."

"Am I being childish?" Ren asked, sitting down.

Lory blinked.

"Is my past so much… simpler compared to his?"

Lory paused, thinking hard. "Simpler… no. Different, most definitely." He sighed. "You went through a period of losing yourself. He went through a period of... insanity, I would say. I don't exactly know the entire story."

Ren froze. "You don't?" And, of course: "Are you _sure_ he didn't kill anyone?"

"No—"

"Of course I did," Tatsui interrupted. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."


	103. Fear

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[103] Fear

Tatsui sank back into the couch, not going into any more detail and rolled himself into the warm blankets. He coughed again and groaned at the itchiness of his throat.

"You really should go home, Mamoru," Lory said.

"What happens if she's there?" he whined wearily. "She was the reason why I didn't go to sleep last night." Of course it had more to do with her having the ability to see through him then him actually being scared of her but…

"Hmm…"

Silence.

Tatsui opened his eyes and turned towards Ren. "Would you like to hear a story, Cookie-san?"


	104. Echoing Voices

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters. **

Tease  
[104] Echoing Voices

_"Such things are precious," _Tatsui had said. And of course: "_When they get close, you grab that shit by the balls and squeeze."_

Ren groaned as he sank into the comfort of his bed. What a day. He reached out, blindly searching for his cellphone. When his fingers finally wrapped around the smooth surface, he wasted no time in flipping it open and scrolling through his contacts.

_"Don't let go. Never let go."_

Kyoko.

_"Don't let her get away from you, Cookie-san."_

He smiled fondly at the picture, clutched it tight to his chest, rolled over and went to sleep.


	105. Ghostly Phone Call

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[105] Ghostly Phone Call

Kyoko's head snapped up at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She rubbed her eyes. It was almost two, she noticed as she looked at her phone. What could Tsuruga-san want? Hesitantly, she answered it, "H-hello?" She wasn't in trouble, was she?

Nothing.

Kyoko frowned. "Tsuruga-san?"

Nothing.

"Hello? Tsuruga-san, are you there?"

Nothing.

She began to panic. Why did he call and not say anything? Was he hurt? Detained in some way? She gasped. What happens if he fainted? Or knocked his head—oh my god! He could be bleeding on the cold floor right now!

_Hold on, Tsuruga-san!_


	106. Knock, Knock

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[106] Knock, Knock

_Someone was pounding on his door._

Ren woke up slowly, despite the relentless pounding and blinked. Wha—

_Someone was pounding on his door. Hard._

He rolled over, stared at his clock and wondered if he was reading it correctly. And then realization hit him and forced him to roll out of his bed, grabbing the nearest pair of pants and pant-danced his way to his front door. _Look at Tsuruga Ren now, _a voice snickered. He ignored it; the last time something like this had happened, it had been an emergency.

He wretched the door open and promptly choked. _"M-Mogami-san?"_


	107. Speechless

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[107] Speechless

Much to Kyoko's horror, the first thing she noticed was _not _if Tsuruga-san was fine or not, instead her eyes trailed (and re-trailed) the smooth skin of his chest. And then something caught her eyes and she stared (and kept staring) at his unzipped pants.

_Oh._

Oh my.

Her throat closed up and a strange strangling noise escaped. "I-I-I—Y-you—Ts—I—. She took in a shuddered breath—

As if realizing what she was about to do, Ren reached out and grabbed her, one large hand clasped over her mouth and she found herself pressed against his naked chest.


	108. Struggle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[108] Struggle

_Well, _Ren thought. _This is rather nice._ Who was he kidding?It was like a dream come true… if he didn't consider the fact that she was struggling like a wildcat against his hold.

"Mogami-san, _Mogami-san!" _he whispered frantically. "Please calm down!" He closed the door behind her with his foot. "I'm only trying to keep you from screaming." He released her and watched with a rapidly sinking heart as she leaped away from him.

She stared.

"I have _neighbors."_

Her eyes widened in horror upon realization and bowed low. He watched as her pajama top slipped off a shoulder.


	109. Skin Upon Mine

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[109] Skin Upon Mine

Kyoko didn't seem like she was scared out of her mind, so whatever reason she had for coming to him at one in the morning could wait. "Forgive me. I'm going to go change first," he said looking down and then stared at his unzipped crotch in horror.

"But, Tsuru—"

He slammed the bathroom door behind him, feeling a familiar burn on his face.

When, between the time he opened his door to her struggling against him to him calming her down _had he been turned on?_ He remembered the feeling of her bare skin against his and groaned.


	110. Call Me, Maybe

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[110] Call Me, Maybe

By the time he had dressed, took care of his _other _problem and had made his way back to his living room Kyoko had already worried herself to the point where she seemed ready to burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry," she cried out, bowing rapidly.

"It's fine, it's fine," he reassured with a calm he didn't feel. "What's wrong? Did something happen, Mogami-san?" he asked knowing she wasn't the type of person to just pop by in the middle of the night.

She stared at him, blinked and blinked again. "Y-you _called _me!"

Ren froze. "I beg your pardon?"


	111. Soft-Hearted

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[111] Soft-Hearted

"You called me," she repeated. "I answered but you didn't say anything. I thought you _died!"_

Ren had a flashback of him taking out his phone so he could sleep with her picture—_how pathetic, _his mind offered—and had a sinking feeling that he must have accidently pressed the call button sometime in the middle of the night.

"Er…"

Then he realized that she must have ran or biked all the way from her place to his and despite himself, felt the beginnings of a unpreventable smile grace his lips. A single thought echoed across his mind: _She cares._


	112. Your Tears

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[112] Your Tears

Then any amusement Ren had felt before completely evaporated when Kyoko rubbed her eyes. "I was so worried," she whispered in a broken voice.

"I—I—wha—"

She sniffed.

Ren swallowed guiltily—but really, it wasn't his fault she was so oblivious to his feelings that he was forced to sleep with a digital _picture _of her for comfort. "I'm sorry, Kyoko," he murmured, reached out and pulled her into his arms. He placed a soft kiss on her hair, "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to worry you."

She sniffed again and hesitantly wrapped her arms around him.


	113. Breaking Hearts

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[113] Breaking Hearts

_Now _this _is a dream come true, _a Tatsui-like voice in the back of his head whispered. _Not that other shit. _Ren squashed the voice down ruthlessly. He gave himself a moment before speaking up, "I'm sorry." He didn't remember apologizing so many times before.

She sniffled again and he felt as if his very heart might break when he noticed that his shirt was rather wet. She mumbled something, her voice muffled by his chest.

"Excuse me?" Ren asked, loosening his grip on her.

Her own grip, however, didn't change as she looked up. "Why did you call me?"


	114. Sunlight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[114] Sunlight

"W-well," he began hesitantly, feeling rather embarrassed. "Uh, that would… um."

_Aren't you an actor? What kind of actor are you?_ the voice that sounded like Tatsui asked. It really needed to shut up.

"I might have fallen asleep with my phone and accidently dialed your number."

She blinked and then pulled herself from him. His fingers twitched, feeling the urge to pull her back to where she belonged.

He coughed, "I apologize for the trouble."

"It's fine," Kyoko said and then smiled brightly, blinding him for an instant. "I'm just glad that you're fine."

He felt his heart stop.


	115. Internal Dialogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[115] Internal Dialogue

"Good morning," Yashiro greeted brightly. "How was your night?"

_Well, _Ren thought, beginning a mental checklist. _I was woken up in the middle of the night by the same woman I was dreaming about moments earlier, had a hard on forced onto me, and then blinded by the most adorable smile I have ever seen on a girl. _He glared at his manager. _How the hell do you think my night went?_

Yashiro paled. "Wet dream?" he asked, his voice a pitch high.

_If I didn't need you, I would very much like to strangle you._

"Ren? You're scaring me."


	116. Linger Longer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[116] Linger Longer

"So," Yashiro began hesitantly. He wondered if he should hold off the announcement until he was able to run away and not have to come back for Ren's later jobs.

Ren looked at him, a gentlemanly smile gracing his lips.

Yashiro wasn't fooled for a single moment. "Um," he coughed. "Director Tatsui requested more weeks to work—"

_Of course he did, _Ren thought darkly. Why wasn't he asked first? Did that man think that Ren had that much free time on his hands? Typical Tatsui. He would like to strangle the man too.

"—with Kyoko-chan."

He froze. "What?"


	117. Let's Talk

**Dedicated to Loca8892 [1106883]: Good luck on your exams, labs, and everything else! I wanted to PM you myself but the message isn't sending for some odd reason so I can only cross my fingers and hope they didn't actually send and you're not spammed with five of the same message. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[117] Let's Talk

Ren managed to get to the beach early, before most of the crew showed up. In fact the only other people at the photo-shoot area were Tatsui himself—whom Ren _was_ going to strangle—and the photographer (what's his name again?).

He approached the two cautiously. "Can we talk?" he asked; his voice calm and polite.

Tatsui looked at him and rolled his eyes, obviously feeling better than he did yesterday. "Haven't I already told you that I preferred sex?"

His fingers twitched.

The photographer looked up. "Knock it off, Mamoru. He looks like he's going to kill you."


	118. Glow

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[118] Glow

"Well?" Tatsui asked, leaning backwards against Photographer-san. "What do you want?"

Ren narrowed his eyes. "What do _you _want with Mogami-san?"

"Damn," Tatsui whispered. "That manager of yours is _good." _Not even a day since his announcement and Cookie already knows.

"Answer the man," Photographer-san ordered.

Tatsui gave him a look but obeyed nonetheless. "Nothing unusual…"

_What, _Ren wanted to ask. _Is your definition of _unusual?

"He's going to make her famous," explained Photographer-san.

Ren blinked.

"Oh, please," Tatsui scoffed. "You couldn't have missed Mogami-san's potential. That woman could go places." He smiled. "And I'm going to make it happen."


	119. Obstacle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[119] Obstacle

"But she's an _actress."_

"You don't really know who I am, do you?" Tatsui asked with a sigh, throwing an arm over his eyes and groaned.

Ren cleared his throat, almost embarrassed. His fingers twitched again, wishing that he could just reach into his pocket for his phone. He really should have done a bit of research on the man before confronting him. Since when had he gotten so careless?

"Look," Tatsui said. "I'm famous. Everything I make becomes famous. Everyone I work with becomes famous, okay? I bring out people's potential and my audience is going to see that."


	120. Stop Talking

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[120] Stop Talking

_Why Mogami-san? _Ren wanted to ask.

Tatsui must have read his mind since he groaned again. "Do you listen to a damn thing that comes out of my mouth?"

"Half the time, the shit that comes out of that thing is innuendo, so no, he probably doesn't," Photographer-san muttered.

"I didn't ask you," he snapped, whipping his head around to glare.

Ren blinked. "Then your further requesting her has nothing to do with the president?"

"Che. That manipulative bastard. That was probably the plan in the first place." Then, softer: "Needs my matchmaking skills my ass." Ren didn't doubt it.


	121. Pushing the Limit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[121] Pushing the Limit

Another question ate away at Ren but he couldn't place it. Unfortunately, Tatsui appeared to know anyway as he snapped: "Are you stupid?" he asked, bluntly. "Or did you just have sex?"

_I can kill him and destroy all the evidence_

"Or have you been _deprived _of sex? Because, trust me, if you need any physical relief—"

_Hide his body in a place no one would look. I have the money, don't I?_

"—my bed is open. And listen, if you're into those kinky—"

Kinky?—_that's it._ _I'm killing him and making it look like an accident._


	122. Deep Breath

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[122] Deep Breath

"Please," Photographer-san soothed. "Ignore him. He has a temper."

Tatsui grumbled.

"He just doesn't like Mogami-san much."

"I like Mogami _fine," _Tatsui growled out. "I just don't like her Natsu."

Because she visited his house as Natsu, Ren remembered.

"She's like a _demon_. She just comes at you and you don't know whether to have a hard on or simply piss your pants."

Ren winced, he knew that feeling well. "Have you met her Mio?" Ren asked, feeling almost lighthearted since the first time he arrived here.

"Fuck my ass," Tatsui whispered. "It's always the psychotic ones that have potential."


	123. The In-Between

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[123] The In-Between

Ren didn't know what to think of Tatsui. One minute he wants to strangle and kill the man because he seems to know everything but takes _nothing_ seriously and another he wants to befriend him for the same reason.

"Well," Tatsui said, interrupting his thought as he got up from the ground. "We'll have sex later, your princess-sama is here."

_Eh? _Ren turned. _She's—_

"Early?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you know? We usually have a threesome before photo shooting."

_Like now, _Ren thought. He wants to kill him but later the man will say something witty and… well.


	124. Last Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[124] Last Day

"It's your last day working with Tsuruga-san, so let's make every shot count, eh?"

Kyoko blinked. "It's… it's his last day?"

A muscle in his jaw gave a violent twitch but Tatsui managed to keep the smile off his face. "Of course, didn't you know?" He threw an arm over her shoulder. "From tomorrow onwards, it'll just be you, me, and opportunity." _And the crew… but who needs them anyway?_

Kyoko stared at the arm. "Um."

Tatsui suddenly leaned in and sniffed. He looked up, caught her eye and raised his eyebrows. "Did you spend the night at Tsuruga-san's place?"


	125. Sly Dog

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters. **

Tease  
[125] Sly Dog

Yashiro squealed as he turned towards Ren. He has never been so proud; to think that Ren was growing up and sneaking ladies around. "Is that why you didn't pick me up this morning?"

"No," Ren answered. "You had somewhere to go, remember?" For the first time, he hoped Kyoko was too absorbed in her discomfort that she wasn't paying attention to Yashiro's words.

Not paying him the least amount of attention, Yashiro giggled and mock-punched Ren. "Oh, you sly dog, you!"

Ren briefly wondered if mass murder was still looked down upon. "Yashiro," he warned with a bright smile.


	126. Something New, Like Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[126] Something New, Like Love

"We're going to do something new today."

Kyoko blinked. New? New like last time new? Was her Model-san even ready for this?

"Last time," Tatsui-san began. "Was all about sex, passion… and"—he looked at Ren—"…restraint. This time, I want _love."_

She froze. "Love?"

He smirked. "Did I stutter?" And then paled because he knew that Mogami was Natsu and just because she didn't have her predator walk right now didn't mean she couldn't make him wet his pants.

"B-but! I can't—I mean—" She swallowed hard. Love, such a foreign word. What did she know of love?


	127. Descent

**Time to get serious.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[127] Descent

"Calm down, Mogami-san, I didn't mean love as in the romantic sense. I couldn't care less about that."

_And he really could, _Ren thought. The guy wanted to make Ren lose control, not make him confess like Yashiro wanted.

"This photo-shoot is about _you,_ Mogami-san—"

"Really," Photographer-san interrupted with a roll of his eyes, "and here I was thinking it's about the bikini."

"Love thy body, love thy mind, love thyself," Tatsui continued, eyes darkening. "Tell me, Mogami, do you even _like _yourself?"

And just like that, with less than two dozen words, Kyoko felt her whole world shatter.


	128. Dark Abyss

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[128] Dark Abyss

For as long as she could remember, Kyoko had always hated herself. She hated how she couldn't get perfect scores on her exams; how she wasn't perfect enough for her mother to even want her. She hated how she was so pathetic that there were times her mother couldn't even look at her. And above all, she hated how the one person she had dedicated her entire life to, the one person that could have made _her _happy because his happiness was her happiness, didn't even consider her worth anything.

She was absolutely nothing and she hated herself for that.


	129. Shots through the Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[129] Shots through the Heart

Almost two years ago, she had told Tsuruga-san that she wanted to continue acting because she wanted to find herself, to create a new her. But how could she find herself if there was nothing to find? How could she create herself if she had nothing to begin with?

"Mogami."

She looked up, watering amber eyes meeting steel blue ones. "I don't…" she mumbled.

"Hm?" Tatsui leaned down.

"I don't like myself," she said louder.

_He saw straight into the heart of the problem, _Ren thought, shocked. This man—stranger, really—barely knows her and already has her figured out.


	130. Perfection

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[130] Perfection

"Well then," Tatsui said, kneeling so he was leveled with Kyoko. "We'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

Kyoko looked up. Fix? Wasn't that the reason why she was in LoveMe in the first place? The president couldn't fix her. Could _anyone _fix her?

"I can't make a star out of you if you're not confident. Your previous shots were good but they weren't perfect. And I want perfection."

_Perfect, perfect, perfect. She was never perfect enough for her mother._

"Perfection," Tatsui continued, "Is the best you can be, but with no confidence, there is no perfection."

She blinked.


	131. The Saddest Thing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[131] The Saddest Thing

"So, this is what we're going to do," he rubbed his hands together slowly, demonstrating. "We're going to take you scared heart and polish it until there are no creases left, until it is nothing less than perfection."

Kyoko stared at his hands as if he was holding her very heart. "But if you polish it so much won't that just make it smaller?" she asked.

"True, true," he admitted and flashed her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Kyoko thought it was the saddest thing she has ever seen. "But at least you'll still have one, eh?"


	132. The Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[132] The Beginning

"So?" he asked. "Do you want to like yourself?"

She didn't hesitate. "Yes!"

"Now then," he said, standing up with a smile, pointing a finger at her as he said to the make-up artists. "That make-up, that wig, I want them gone."

Kyoko shot up. _"Eeh?"_

He ignored her, "And Tsuruga-san! Get ready, we'll be needing you more than ever!"

"What, why?" Yashiro asked. He had no idea what was going on anymore. One moment, Ren seemed to hate the Tatsui and now they seem to be allies for the same cause. And what was that about Kyoko-chan hating herself?


	133. One, Two, Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[133] One, Two, Three

"Because he's Mogami-san's beloved sem—"

"Respected!" Kyoko interrupted, her face red.

Tatsui stared. "What did I say about love, confidence and perfection?"

She hesitated. "Um… b-but—"

"In order to love yourself, you need confidence but before that you need to accept the love of others."

Yashiro's mouth dropped open and Ren felt himself froze. Kyoko could either take his comment two ways, the way it was meant to be taken or the friends love each other, type of way. He hoped it was the latter.

"I do!"

Tatsui looked at her and grimaced. "No, Mogami, you really don't."


	134. A New Shine

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[134] A New Shine

"But why do we have to remove the make-up?" she cried.

"Because I want you. Just you."

"But I'm so plain!"

Ren frowned; he could find more than a thousand ways to argue with that.

"Exactly," Tatsui agreed. "Which is why it'll really bring out your beauty when you smile."

"B-but—"

"Mogami-san," Ren interrupted. "Trust the director. He knows what he's doing." _Hopefully._

"Thank you." Tatsui smiled sweetly. "Like how you completely trusted me before."

Ren smiled back. _Like you ever gave me a reason to, _his smile said.

Kyoko looked at Ren and sighed. "Okay…" she mumbled mournfully.


	135. Trust Me

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[135] Trust Me

When Kyoko came out again, her face seemed to be a permanent shade of red, no longer confident in an outfit that barely covered anything. Her usual poster faltered and she slouched under the eye of her audience.

"Waah," Ren heard some crew member say. "It's amazing what make-up can do to a person."

He frowned because no matter what Kyoko looked like, what wig she had one, what make-up covered her face, she will always be beautiful.

"Mogami-san," he said, approaching her. "You'll do fine, trust me."

She looked up at him and hesitated. "I do," she finally whispered.


	136. Cameraman

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[136] Cameraman

He smiled wildly when he saw her. "Brilliant," he held out a hand. "Camera."

Kyoko watched with wide eyes as Photographer-san handed Tatsui-san the camera. "Eh?" she asked, her discomfort momentarily forgotten. "_You're_ not taking the pictures?"

Photographer-san smiled and shook his head. "I make people look good, Mogami-san. Mamoru, however, makes them look perfect."

Tatsui glanced at him. "Glad you know my worth."

_I guess he's famous for a reason, _Ren thought. Instead he asked, "Where do you want us, Director?"

Tatsui grinned, the innuendoes he could make to answer that question…

Photographer-san glared at him. "Mamoru," he warned.


	137. Starting Point

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[137] Starting Point

"So, just go there and do what feels natural."

Kyoko's eyes widened.

"Director Tatsui," Ren said, stepping forward. "I don't think Mogami-san's familiar enough with modeling to completely free-style it."

Tatsui fluttered his eyelashes at him. "I'm sorry, Cookie-san, but did you say something?"

Ren felt his eye muscle twitch. But he knew a loss when he saw one and sighed before making his way back to Kyoko. "Well," he muttered, a small smile gracing his features because he knew how much Kyoko wanted this. "Shall we get started?"

She shivered nervously. "Yes."

Behind him, he heard the camera click.


	138. Blind

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[138] Blind

_She doesn't understand what Tatsui-san wants her to do, _Ren thought. Then: _Forget her, _I'm_ not sure what he wants us to do either!_

Keeping his voice low, he said, "Just be yourself, Mogami-san. I think Director Tatsui just want natural pictures, no poses, nothing."

She frowned. "Well," she said, "naturally, I wouldn't be wearing this outfit!" The sound of a camera shutter faded into the background.

He looked down and stared. _There I go again, _Ren thought. _Thinking with my other head._

"U-um… well, yes."

She followed his line of line of sight and her eyes went wide.

_Oh!_


	139. Tense Muscles

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[139] Tense Muscles

"She looks nice."

"Doesn't she?" Tatsui murmured, most of his concentration directed towards the couple. He looked up and blinked. "Where's everyone else?"

"I sent them away."

He smiled. "Good." He turned back. "She's relaxing more now that people are gone. Give them five more minutes and I bet they won't even know we're here."

"She might forget," Photographer-san stated. "But he's on high alert."

"And hiding it pretty well," Tatsui murmured with narrowed eyes. He then turned towards him again and grinned. "We'll just have to change that, won't we?"

Photographer-san sighed. "Why do I put up with you?"


	140. Tour Guide

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[140] Tour Guide

Kyoko giggled.

"Now this is just annoying," Tatsui growled out. "He's supposed to help her! Not hinder her! She's looks perfect and he's as stiff as his cock probably is."

"You can't blame him."

Tatsui sighed. "But you've _seen _his photos, he's an amazing model!" He glared. "Or at least he _was."_

Photographer-san lowered his voice even further despite the fact the couple ahead couldn't hear them. "The girl he loves is wearing next to nothing, you expect him to be… limp?"

"Relaxed, at least!" he snapped, and then tapped the camera thoughtfully. "Think I can force it?"

"Please don't."


	141. Misguided

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[141] Misguided

"Mogami-san! You're stepping on a starfish!"

"Eh?" she cried, breaking the trance, looking down and jumping up at the same time. She lost her balance and began to fall forward.

Immediately, Ren reached out and grabbed her but the sand beneath his feet didn't give him much of a support making his fall down with her. And with an effort to not squash her beneath his heavier body, he twisted around so that she landed on top of him.

He opened his eyes, hearing a camera click and a familiar chuckle.

"Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko's eyes welled up with tears. "The starfish!"


	142. Frozen

**To clear up some confusion: There was never a starfish; Tatsui made that up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[142] Frozen

_"Now,_ that's natural," Tatsui said happily, snapping pictures as Ren flushed. He ignored the strangling gasping noises from Manager-san behind him. "You know, if she fell down a bit more forward, his face would have been buried in her breasts."

"Indeed," Photographer-san deadpanned. "And was that your aim?"

"Actually no, I wanted_ her_ face in his crotch." He sounded as serious as he was disappointed.

They watched Kyoko struggling to get up, her panic making her less than graceful and she placed her knee somewhere that made Tsuruga freeze up, his blood draining from his face into another region altogether.


	143. Priorities

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[143] Priorities

"I'm so sorry!" she cried as she slipped again, landing back in her previous position.

Ren forced a smile. "It's alright." In his mind: _Please don't move, please don't move, please don't move!_

Kyoko sighed and debated with herself whether she should make another attempt to get up and embarrass herself again or not. And then she remembered "Tsuruga-san?" she whispered, trying not to move.

"Yes?" he sounded stiff.

She lifted her head and stared down at him, her amber eyes impossibly wide and innocent. "Do you… do you think the starfish is okay?"

Ren blinked. "I beg your pardon?"


	144. If I Fall

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[144] If I Fall

The only constant thing in her life, Kyoko noticed as she stared into soft brown eyes, was that Ren was always there to catch her when she fell. She wished that she knew him when she was younger and a small wistful smile almost stretched across her lips. If she had, she might not have turned out like this; she might actually have been worth something, she might actually have _liked _herself.

"If I fall," she whispered so softly that Ren almost missed it. "Will you catch me?"

And just like that, his whole world turned over. He smiled, "Always."


	145. Curtain Call

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[145] Curtain Call

"Okay!" Tatsui interrupted. "That's a wrap! Good job, you two!" He watched amusingly as the couple immediately flushed and jumped up and away from each other. Successfully.

"Why'd you stop them?" Photographer-san asked quietly. "I thought you wanted this."

"Sex is fine," he explained. "Watching it, however, not so fine."

Photographer-san sighed. "Is _everything _sex to you?"

Tatsui eyed the photographer. "Do you not know me?" With a huff, he turned his attention back towards his models. "Mogami-san, you were just brilliant. Beautiful perfection is what you are. Tsuruga-san," he paused, lowered his gaze and smirked. "Good job, good job


	146. Baby Steps

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[146] Baby Steps

"Is that it?" Mogami asked, her eyes wide.

"Huh?"

"That's how I'm supposed to like myself?" She pointedly stared at the camera in his hands. "By having pictures of me taken?"

"It's a start in the right direction," he pressed. "You have to see your own worth first and only after you do, can you move on."

"Move on?"

"To step two, forgiveness."

Kyoko's eyes darkened and Ren knew that her mind had immediately went to Fuwa Sho.

Photographer-san snorted, amused. "Yes, because you totally forgave _him_."

Eyes snapped upwards in his direction. "Revenge," Kyoko muttered. "You're seeking revenge too."


	147. Two Peas in a Pod

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[147] Two Peas in a Pod

"You _told _her?"

"Jealous?" Tatsui asked, smugly. "Thank you, I'm truly honored."

His eyes narrowed.

"But no," he continued. "I didn't tell her. She _knew, _more or less."

They turned towards her and Kyoko blushed underneath everyone's gaze. Realizing for the first time what she was wearing (or really, what she was _not) _Kyoko bowed, "I'm going to change! Excuse me!" She fled and didn't look back.

"You're in this industry for _revenge?" _Ren asked.

Tatsui raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Are we going to have a problem?"

Ren narrowed his eyes.

"He _came _into this industry for revenge," Photographer-san corrected.


	148. Purity

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[148] Purity

"Okay, the reason I'm here _was _because of revenge," he admitted. "But the reason I continue to be here _is_ to continue my revenge." His eyes darkened and Ren felt as if he was staring into a mirror of his past. "As long as I'm here, in a position where my word will send millions of people believing, _he _will never truly recover.

"We all have motives, Tsuruga. Just because mine might not be as pure as yours doesn't make them less significant."

Ren thought about Kyoko. "True revenge is to simply let go, walking past the person without faltering."


	149. The Ultimate Revenge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[149] The Ultimate Revenge

Although it might have started out that way, Kyoko was no longer in the entertainment industry for revenge. Despite that, however, it didn't stop her from overreacting whenever she saw _him. _It was her reaction that made Fuwa confident that no matter what happens he would always, _always_ hold the bigger portion of her heart.

It _disgusted _him.

He wished he could just get Kyoko to stop thinking about him. If Fuwa ceased being so important to her—no matter the reason—then that alone would affect him more than shouting matches ever could.

_That _would be the ultimate revenge.


	150. That Little Hope

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[150] That Little Hope

Tatsui sighed. "You know, Cookie-san, you should be happy that Mogami-san is actually seeking revenge."

"_Was_ seeking revenge," Ren corrected, narrowing his eyes.

Tatsui laughed softly. "Details, details, Cookie-san" he murmured, shaking his head. "The fact that she even bothered seeking revenge means that despite what had happened to her, she still had some self-respect. That she still believed that she was worth something and that she didn't deserve whatever happened to her."

"What exactly does that mean?" Yashiro asked.

"It means that her heart hasn't completely been closed off."

Silence. Then:

"I still don't get it," Yashiro finally admitted.


	151. Full of Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[151] Full of Love

"I don't know her very well so I can't tell you exactly what might have happened to her but I can give an educated guess." He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "She's a girl full of love," Tatsui began before Ren could stop him. "When she loves something, she loves it entirely. She doesn't half-ass anything."

Yashiro might have just found a new role model.

"She was betrayed more than once," Tatsui continued, forcing Ren's complete attention onto him. "Once when she was young, most likely by an adult figure and again… more recently from what I have gathered."


	152. A Reason

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[152] A Reason

For someone that did not personally know Kyoko, Tatsui's guesses were spot on and that fact alone made Ren's head spin.

"She was betrayed multiple times by different people so it's no surprise that she thought herself worthless." Tatsui frowned. "Which means: the fact that she considers herself worthy enough to get back at someone who betrayed her means that she still has some form of self-respect left in her."

"That doesn't make her desire for revenge justified."

Tatsui's eyes darkened considerably. "No but it gives her a reason to live." He didn't appear to be talking about Mogami-san anymore.


	153. Invitation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[153] Invitation

"What do you mean?" Yashiro asked.

Tatsui winked but didn't answer the question. "Mogami-san!" he greeted, looking up. "Ready?"

Kyoko approached the group slowly as if sensing the tension. "Ready?" she repeated. "For what?"

"Well," Tatsui answered. "Now that the bikini shots are over, a celebration is in order! Let's get dinner! Photographer-san's treat."

"I couldn't!"

"That wasn't a request," Tatsui responded. "Tsuruga-san's driving, of course." He looked expectedly at the actor.

Ren bit back a sigh. "Sounds like a fun idea," he said brightly.

"Still pretending to be a gentleman, I see," Tatsui mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Ren glared.


	154. Interlude: What's in a Name

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[154] Interlude – What's in a Name?

"Um… is your name really… Photographer-san?" Yashiro asked.

The man looked up and snorted softly through his nose. "No, of course not. Mamoru gives people nicknames all the time… it just stuck." Ren winced and hopes his won't meet the same fate.

"Why… Photographer-san?"

"Well, I _am _a photographer." His eyes darkened giving off the impression that there was more to his story than that. "It was better my last one … I guess."

"Oh?" Kyoko asked, perking up. "What was it?"

He flushed in response as Tatsui snorted with laughter. "Are you sure you really want to know, Mogami-san?"


	155. So Many Choices

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[155] So Many Choices

"Delicious!"

Kyoko stared as Ren tried not to laugh. "Frog legs," she whispered. "Why frog legs?"

"Aren't you hungry, Mogami-san?"

She paled and then turned towards Photographer-san. "Do you mind if I order something else?"

"Order whatever you want," he replied, not even sparing a glance in her direction. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Tatsui since their food arrived.

Kyoko picked up the menu, glanced over it and frowned. Everything on the menu was rather expensive but she didn't want to seem rude and not eat anything especially since she had been invited out. And there's hamburger steak!


	156. Glass Mask

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters. **

Tease  
[156] Glass Mask

"Are you two together?" Yashiro blurted out, unable to help himself as he watched Tatsui feed Photographer-san some Kobe beef from his plate.

Ren resisted the urge to sigh. There were times that Yashiro just couldn't hold himself back—thank goodness that hasn't actually happened _noticeably _in Kyoko's presence.

"Of course we are," Tatsui confirmed with a grin. "Wasn't it obvious?"

"Eh?" Kyoko asked, shocked. "I thought you two were brothers!"

Both men in question froze. "I _told _you she sees through everything," Tatsui whispered. "Even if _she's_ not there, her presence seeps through every pore of that woman's body."


	157. See Through

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[157] See Through

"So, what gave it away?"

"Well, you hold hands!"

"Uh… I see." No, Tatsui really didn't.

"I hold hands with my brother all the time," she murmured, dreamily.

Ren choked on his steak. He could feel color creeping up his neck and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Couples hold hands too," Photographer-san pointed out.

"Not the way you two do it though," she half-whispered, suddenly looking very serious.

"What—"

"Like you're afraid of losing each other."

They froze for a moment. Then Photographer-san looked away and sighed. "You truly are a frightening woman, Mogami-san. Ever consider becoming an interrogator instead?"


	158. Interlude: Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[158] Interlude - Truth

"We're actually step-siblings," Photographer-san admitted.

"I—"

"He's only saying that to justify the fact that we—_fuck!" _he swore loudly as his brother snatched Kyoko's fork from her grasp and stabbed Tatsui's hand with it.

"Keep talking and the next one's going down your throat."

Tatsui smirked. "Just like how your—" He cut himself off swallowed hard when Photographer-san raised the fork.

"I think we should get going," Ren said, looking over at Kyoko who was bright red. Despite how innocent she appeared, she knew what they were talking about. He scoffed; it was most likely Fuwa's influence.


	159. Interlude: Dark Eyes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

Tease  
[159] Interlude – Dark Eyes

"Eh?" Kyoko screamed, completely forgetting that she was in a rather high-class restaurant.

"It's alright," Photographer-san comforted. "It's—"

"B-but! The _price_!" she screeched. "The zeros! Look at all the zeros!"

"It's because of the Kobe beef," Tatsui said. "Which I ordered."

"But the hamburger steak!"

Photographer-san just shook his head and handed the waitress an identification card. "Put this on my father's account."

"Eh?" she looked at the card, bewildered. "Ah! Miyamoto-sama! Yes, yes, of course!" She bowed.

Tatsui grinned. "Your father? That poor man."

Photographer-san eyed the check. "That poor man can burn in hell," he growled out.


	160. Self-Worth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[160] Self-Worth**

"Is it true?" Yashiro asked after Ren had dropped off everyone.

"Is what true?"

"That Kyoko-chan was betrayed? And that she hated herself?"

Ren's lips flattened in a thin line. "It's not really my place to tell, Yashiro-san," he answered finally, not wanting to press the issue.

"Fair enough," Yashiro sighed. "But… Kyoko... she doesn't _actually _hate herself, does she?" Yashiro knew she had somewhat of a low self-esteem but to actually _hate _herself... Although, he had a slight suspicion that he could do wonders to her self-esteem if he told her she had _the _Tsuruga Ren under her control.


	161. Starfish Glory

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters. **

**Tease  
****[161] ****Starfish Glory**

"My god!" Lory cried. "How in the world did you even get them into this position?"

"Starfishes," Tatsui answered with a proud smile.

Lory hummed in approval despite not knowing exactly what Tatsui meant. "You think I could get this blown up and framed?" Catching the director's flat glance he hastily added, "For their wedding gift, of course."

Tatsui huffed. "Just don't drag me into it when you get forced behind bars."

"I won't," Lory grinned. "Thank you for the photos." "

My pleasure," Tatsui purred, looking at him and then turned serious, "but that's not why I'm here."

"No?"

"No."


	162. No More Tricks

**Hey guys! For those that were worried, there's nothing wrong with Kairou. She either just got too lazy to update her story (tsk tsk) or she forgot her password again. However, she IS busy with finals and all so I shall be updating in her place. But not to worry! All future chapters were written by Kairou herself, I'm only doing the updating. She actually has the story finished and saved on her OneDrive. Thank god for that.**

**Now, because this account isn't attached to my email, I will not be seeing any reviews or PMs regarding this story. Additionally, I'm not sure how regularly Kairou checks her email so if you have any questions regarding the story, you can either contact her through her deviantART (Kairou-no-Kimi) or her Tumblr (KairouWatoshimi). She's active on both.**

**I'm pretty sure her old update schedule was every Saturday so that's what I'll be doing.**

**Konosa OUT.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[162] No More Tricks**

"Why do you need me?" Tatsui asked. "And I want a truthful answer."

Lory sighed and placed the photo back onto his desk. "Well, to kill two birds with one stone, really."

"Really?"

"You make diamonds out of coal, Mamoru," Lory explained. "You must have seen her potential; it's rather hard to miss. And I want you to bring that potential out, Kyoko deserves no less."

"And the second thing?"

Lory grinned. "You're a matchmaker."

Tatsui raised an eyebrow.

The grin turned into a smirk. "And if you can get those two together, even I will have to applaud you."

**PS. She didn't exactly give me her permission to do this but she didn't say anything when I mentioned I would do a better job updating than she ever did... so.**


	163. Look Beyond the Surface

**The only reason the story hasn't been updated the past few weeks was because this little bitch promised that she was going to update. AND I BELIEVED HER. But when I came to check... Not a single update. Unbelievable. **

**Konosa OUT.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[163] Look Beyond the Surface**

Tatsui looked offended. "I'll have you know my success rate is a hundred percent!"

Lory snorts. "Yes, but you're dealing with Kyoko and Ren and they both have demons in their past."

"I'll have you know," Tatsui repeated stiffly. "I already know of Mogami's demon and I have already begun my plan of attack—wait," he cut himself off. "Did you say Ren? What demons?"

"He has a dark past."

"I know that."

Lory raised an eyebrow, amused. "You didn't think that Kyoko was the only one that didn't want to fall in love, did you?"

Tatsui blinked. "Wait, what?"

**Kairou WILL be taking over updates in a couple of weeks. I'll make sure of it.**


	164. Two-Way Street

**I just realized: Why the hell am I following Kairou's update schedule? I'm in charge here.**

**Konosa OUT.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[164] Two-Way Street**

"Mogami Kyoko has sworn off love," Lory elaborated.

"Yes, I sort of figured that."

Lory stared at him. "You don't actually think that it's outside of Ren's ability to make Kyoko fall in love with him if he really wanted it, do you?"

Tatsui graced him with a flat glare. "That woman almost made me piss my pants, remember? I don't think anyone could force her to do anything she didn't want to do. What's your point?"

"My point is: You've seen Ren flustered around her but have you ever seen him attempt to woo Kyoko?"

Tatsui stared. "Well… shit."


	165. Joker

**Kairou should be back within the next two weeks. This little bitch.**

**Konosa OUT.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[165] Joker**

"Exactly," Lory said. "You're up against not one—but two people that have sworn off love."

"I don't understand," Tatsui mumbled mournfully. "He's stupid in love with her." He rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment and then brightened up. "Are you sure he's not trying to… respect her or something? Not wanting to pressure her?"

"I know the details of his past," Lory confirmed. "I'm positive."

"Let me get this straight: He's in love with her, have the guts to get jealous when I flirt with her but he won't make a move?"

"You flirt with her?"


	166. Bigger Pond

**One more week. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[166] Bigger Pond**

"Are you up to the challenge?"

"Darling," Tatsui purred. "I don't think you understand exactly how much Cookie's in love with her."

"Well, I think you are underestimating Ren's willpower."

"Only because you can't comprehend Mogami's charm," he countered. "Tsuruga Ren… is this close to breaking." He held up his hand, pressing his index finger against his thumb. "He just needs a little poke, and he will begin to seriously charm his way into her life." He paused. "Mogami… on the other hand… Well, I don't even want to get close to that woman so we'll see how it goes."


	167. Attention!

**Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for disappearing on everyone. There's a few personal issues that's going on right now in my life but hopefully, I'll still be able to update and whatnot. Thank you so much for sticking with me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[167] Attention!**

It's been a week, four days and seven hours since he had seen her and already, Ren felt as if he was going crazy. He knew that he was in love with Kyoko and didn't think he could fall any more in love with her but after that photo-shoot, he might have actually hit a new low.

"—and then there's Kyoko-chan of course!"

Ren snapped out of his thoughts. "What?"

Yashiro glared. "You've been ignoring me for the past ten minutes, I mention her name and all of sudden I have your complete attention?"

Ren looked away a blush.


	168. Downhill from Here

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[168] Downhill from Here**

"I said: your eating habits are declining again."

Ren frowned. "So?"

"I'll just mention that to Kyoko-chan and then she'll want to make you dinner, of course! It's been almost two weeks since you've last seen her, after all."

He coughed and averted his gaze. "Has it been that long?"

"Oh please," Yashiro said, rolling his eyes. "Don't think I don't notice you looking for her whenever we enter LME."

"I do not!" Ren protested, obviously embarrassed.

"So you don't want to have homemade dinner from Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked with an evil grin, glasses glinting in the light.

Ren glared.


	169. Run In

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[169] Run In**

The actor huffed and walked away, "Don't we have to get the script?" he asked, changing subjects.

"You never answered my question!" Yashiro sang childishly.

Ren cleared his throat and rounded the corner only to almost jump backwards in shock. "Mogami-san!"

Kyoko spun around at the sudden voice and pressed a yellow-gold envelope against her chest in surprise. "Tsuruga-san!" she squeaked out. "You scared me!"

He smiled at her, feeling as if all the weight on his shoulder had been lifted. Of course, the light-hearted feeling disappeared the moment Yashiro danced out in front of him.

"Kyoko-chan!" the manager cried.


	170. Wrath

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[170] Wrath**

It was a miracle that he wasn't shaking where he stood the moment Kyoko turned her full glare on him—he was sure even Cain Heel would be scared right now.

Her voice, usually so innocent and naïve seemed to vibrate with raw power as she spoke, "You're not eating, Tsuruga-san?"

He cleared his throat and swallowed hard to prevent himself from stuttering. "Of course I am!"

Kyoko's glare intensified, catching his obvious lie.

Ren faltered. "… somewhat."

"He simply refuses to eat," Yashiro cut in gleefully. "Do you think you'll be able to cook dinner for him tonight, Kyoko-chan?"


	171. Dinner Plans

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[171] Dinner Plans**

"Of course I will," Kyoko cried out, fist clutching in front of her in determination. "I'll make sure he eats Yashiro-san. You needn't to worry! I'll feed him two times the meals he missed since my absence!"

Ren paled at the mere thought. "Um… you don't really need to—"

"Yes I do!" she interrupted. "I'll feed you enough to last you another week or so."

"I don't think it works that way, Mogami-san."

She didn't hear him. "You really need to watch your own health a bit more, Tsuruga-san."

"He just needs to see you more," Yashiro slipped in.


	172. Open Mouth, Insert Foot

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[172] Open Mouth, Insert Foot**

Kyoko blinked.

Ren glared.

Yashiro smiled.

"Huh?" she asked. "What do you mean, Yashiro-san?"

"You're the only one that can get Ren to eat," Yashiro elaborated, flashing a grin in Ren's direction. He grabbed Kyoko's hands dramatically, "You need to introduce him to a delicious home-cook meal, Kyoko-chan! Make him realize what he's missing!"

I would very much like to introduce my fist to your face, Ren thought darkly but knew that deep inside he was more than grateful with Yashiro's interference. Without the meddling manager, the most he would be seeing Kyoko is when they pass by each other.


	173. Demoness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[173] Demoness**

Mogami Kyoko was on a mission.

She was going to make Ren gain back the weight he obviously had lost since her absence. So after successfully kicking Tsuruga-san out of his own kitchen, she rolled up her sleeves and set to work.

"Mogami-san? You—" he began pitifully.

Kyoko spun around and pointed the kitchen knife at him threating. "Do not set foot in here," she hissed out, her eyes narrowed.

He opened his mouth, blinked and closed it again. "Yes, ma'am," he muttered. Then: "But Yashiro-san really was exaggerating."

She didn't even bother to spare him a glance. "Out."


	174. Memories of a Father

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[174] Memories of a Father**

_Where, _Ren thought, watching Kyoko pile plate after plate of food in front of him, i_s my father when I need him?_

"Okay," Kyoko said happily, wiping her hands on her apron. "All done."

"This can feed an army," Ren muttered and then eyed Kyoko suspiciously. "You don't expect me to finish this all, do you?"

She frowned and tapped a finger against her cheek adorably. "I guess I'll allow some leftovers."

_You guess?_

"I don't think five people could finish this," he pointed out.

Kyoko smiled. "I can think of one person that can," she said softly.

Ren stared.


	175. Impact

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[175] Impact**

The time she had spent with Kuu, Ren realized, must have seriously impacted her. With a sigh, he picked up his chopsticks and turned his complete attention to the feast in front of him. "Guess I better get started then."

She took her seat, grinning at his statement.

"Do you have a new role, Mogami-san?" Ren asked, giving her belongings a quick glance.

She looked up in surprise. "Um… no," she answered with a shake of her head. "Besides from the work I already do, President Lory doesn't want me to accept any jobs while I work with Director Tatsui."


	176. Slowly, Surely

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[176] Slowly, Surely**

"What do you mean?" he asked slowly, already feeling the edges of annoyance and anger creeping in.

"He said that working with Tatsui-san is a big commitment so it's best not to get distracted trying to get into new roles and everything."

Ren frowned, going over her words in his head. He really needed to research Tatsui Mamoru. "What exactly does he have you do, Mogami-san?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I'm not sure. He drives me somewhere and takes pictures of me." She pouted. "He doesn't even let me wear make-up!"

He smiled.

"And then after work, he takes me to dinner."


	177. Dinner Dates

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[177] Dinner Dates**

"Takes you to dinner?" he repeated.

Kyoko nodded. "He says that it's because a "full employee is a happy employee and a happy employee is a hard-working employee." Her expression darkened. "But I think he just likes to see my expressions when he orders frog legs or something. He orders the strangest food and never eats it!"

Ren swallowed mechanically. "And… how often does he take you out?"

"Twice a week," she answered. "Sometimes more."

"You don't go _alone_ with him… do you?"

She frowned thoughtfully. "Um… sometimes Photographer-san comes with us but he usually has other places to be."


	178. Subtly

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters. **

**Tease**  
**[178] Subtly **

"Is something wrong, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked worriedly. She stared at him for a moment and then gasped. "I'm not trying to take advantage of him, Tsuruga-san! Really, I'm not! I try to refuse but he—"

"Calm down, Mogami-san," Ren said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I understand that Tatsui-san can be quite forceful when he wants to be."

"Yes!"

"I just don't think Tatsui-san has ever taken his employees out to eat after work despite what he told you." A lie since he barely knew the man at all.

Kyoko stabbed at her rice angrily.


	179. Love One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[179] Love One**

"Mogami-san?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm telling you, Tsuruga-san that man just wants to see my expressions when he orders those horrid dishes. He never eats, you know? He just watches me."

"He watches you," Ren repeated slowly, calmly.

_That's it. I'm going to kill him._

"Except when Photographer-san is there, then he just watches him."

Ren raised his eyebrows, "Does he?"

Kyoko closed her eyes and smiled, her expression softening considerably. "Director Tatsui must really love him," she said quietly, as if not wanting to interrupt something precious.

Watching her expression, Ren couldn't help but realize how ironic it was.


	180. Inner Workings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease  
****[180] Inner Workings**

Kyoko has the ability to hear unvoiced thoughts with only a glance. She could get to the bottom of someone's feelings quicker than anyone he knew. But when the feelings are about her, she was completely oblivious.

Ren was pretty sure that one day, he just wouldn't be able to take it anymore and will confess to her, loud and unplanned and she'll just smile at him and say something along the lines of, "I like you too! You're the best senpai anyone could ask for! I'm so honored that you view me worthy enough to be your friend, Tsuruga-san!"


	181. Gratitude

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[181] Gratitude**

Dinner, unfortunately didn't last as long as he hoped it would. He sincerely hoped that she would stay longer despite the lack of dessert (he really couldn't eat another bite). Ren looked around as Kyoko washed the dishes, he was sure he had a script somewhere he could ask her to help him go over.

"Dinner was enjoyable," Kyoko said as she came out of the kitchen. "Thank you for letting me cook for you."

Ren smiled at her despite the sinking of his heart. "Thank you for cooking."

"I'll see you later then," she said, walking towards her belongings.


	182. Please Don't Leave

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[182] Please Don't Leave**

"Let me give you a ride," he said because the words, "Please stay," refused to pass his lips.

She frowned at the offer. "I don't want to impose."

"It's the least I could do after you cooked me dinner."

She played with a large yellow envelope guiltily. "But it's already so late."

"All the more reason to give you a ride."

"I guess…" she agreed hesitantly and he had to hold back a grin.

"Let me just get my coat."

"You're always so nice," Kyoko muttered.

_Trust me,_ Ren thought. _I am being more selfish than you will ever realize._


	183. A Secret!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[183] A Secret!**

"What's with the envelope?"

Kyoko's head snapped away from the window and turned towards his directions. "Oh." She looked down at the envelope in her hands. "Um… It's from Tatsui-san."

"Tatsui..."

"He said it's a love letter," Kyoko muttered and Ren had hold himself back from doing something ridiculous like swirling his car into oncoming traffic.

"Is it?" he asked, rather smoothly considering his raging emotions.

She laughed. "Of course not. I think they're photos from the shoot so I don't really want to look at them."

He pulled up in front of the store and eyed her. "Why not?"


	184. Uncovering

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.**

**Tease**  
**[184] Uncovering **

She flushed and stuttered, "Well… I-I'm wearing a…" she swallowed hard, clearly uncomfortable.

Ren scowled his best senpai-scowl. "Mogami-san, if you don't look at them, how else will you catch your mistakes and correct them for future photo-shoots?" he asked. He was only looking out for her career; it's not like he wants to see her in a bikini again.

Kyoko opened her mouth only to close it again with a frown. "Fine," she sighed after a moment of silence, defeated. "I'll look at them."

"Good," he said and then promptly turned around, locking the car doors. "You may proceed."


End file.
